


For The Sake Of A Name

by Bickymonster



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abuse, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Bullying, F/M, Female Draco, Fluff, Gender Issues, Genderbending, Light Bondage, Marriage, One-Sided Relationship, Oral Sex, Pregnancy, Sexual Content, Unplanned Pregnancy, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-09
Updated: 2015-03-07
Packaged: 2017-12-10 22:45:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 45
Words: 190,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/791048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bickymonster/pseuds/Bickymonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco has an accident which costs him everything he knows, completely changing his life; is it possible that it is changed for the better?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Accidents Happen

**Author's Note:**

> Copyright notice - While all characters, ideas and creations from the Original Harry Potter works remain copyrighted by JKRowling, and she retains all legal rights to them; I do claim copyright on the original characters, ideas and creations within this story that are entirely my own and full permission is required if you wish to publish or use them anywhere else.
> 
> This will be updated on a weekly basis (either Saturday nights or Sunday mornings, depending on when I am awake and how lazy or tired I am feeling)
> 
> This is set in a slightly alternative universe where the first two books happened as written but in the third book Peter Pettigrew didn't get away; he was captured and prosecuted. Dumbledore is currently (at the start of this story) trying to get the Ministry to declare Sirius as innocent but until then he is still on the run.  
> The Triwizard Tournament still takes place but Harry is not entered into it as Peter was not around to help free Barty Crouch Jr. from his father and hence Voldemort was never given a chance to return in book 4.
> 
> This story starts towards the end of Harry and Draco's 4th year at Hogwarts and will be told primarily from Draco's side of the story.
> 
> (I hope this is clear and makes sense, but feel free to message me or ask in a review, if there is anything you want clarified.)
> 
> Warnings: This story will contain some scenes of a graphic sexual nature (female solo and male/female), attempted non-consensual sex and swearing. There may also be some mild discussion of homosexuality. If any of this bothers you then please do not read. You have been warned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the re-written (and hopefully improved) version of chapter 1  
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek, who has helped iron my small idiocies out of this chapter.

Draco was annoyed. Not only had he been caught trying to mess with Longbottom’s potion during class, he was also being punished for it. In the nearly four years that Professor Snape had been teaching him potions this was the first time the man had actually given him a detention. He supposed that the Potion Master had had little choice, given that McGonagall happened to be in the room at the time, but this did not mean he would be forgiving the potions master any time soon.

This was why the blond Slytherin was to be found, on what could have been a perfectly good Saturday evening, sorting, cleaning and generally tidying Snape’s special potion collection. These were not just the every day, run of the mill potions; these were the potions that had legal restrictions on them or were otherwise considered too dangerous to be kept within reach of the students. Draco supposed he should have felt flattered that the Professor had trusted him enough to allow him entry to the storage room and he might have managed it too, if he hadn't still been feeling so resentful about his ruined weekend.

Draco had many books open to ensure all of the potions were correctly labelled, which he could only do once he had removed the layers of dust which had settled on many of them, and he was currently feeling frustrated with not being able to figure out a sensible order in which to place the various vials and bottles back onto the shelves in the store room.

“Damn you Snape,” he muttered under his breath. “Thought you were supposed to be on my side; being a fellow Slytherin and all,” Draco added bitterly.

This was hardly the easiest of detentions he could have been given; it had already taken him several hours and while most of the potions were now clean and labelled, the enormous task of sorting them back into storage would likely keep him there a fair while longer.

“Transformation potion.” Draco read off the label of a large bottle which appeared to hold about a litre of a strange thin liquid that constantly changed colours.

He placed it in a space on the shelf at about shoulder level and turned to fetch another but failed to notice the open book by his feet. As he slipped, and began to fall, his arms reached out automatically to find something to hold on to.

The curse he cried out echoing loudly in the dungeon room, as the back of his hand connected with several of the bottles he had already placed back on the shelves. The falling seemed to take forever and there was nothing he could do as he felt several bottles breaking on his head and back, their contents mixing as they poured over him.

He was in shock by the time he finally found himself sitting on the floor, in a small puddle of the spilt concoctions, and was now definitely on the verge of a major panic attack. Some of the most potent and dangerous potions possible had been on the shelf behind him, including the large quantity of transformation potion, and many potions he was sure should never be mixed together.

After a couple of deep and conscious breaths it started to sink in that he seemed to still be alive. _A_ _good start_ , he thought to himself. He did however feel strange, almost like... like he had shrunk slightly? He raised his hands in front of his eyes.

“Well I still have both eyes and hands....” Draco told himself in a quiet voice, but stopped when he realised how wrong his voice sounded. It was higher, softer and dare he even think it... girly?

_Oh crap_ , he thought; his eyes going wide as he let his gaze fall to his chest, which, like his voice, was distinctly less masculine than it had been a few moments earlier. Panic really started to settle in then; his heart hammering in his chest and his breath coming in short bursts. He managed to scramble to his feet, which proved difficult given that his clothes, including his shoes, all seemed to be now four sizes too large and his body seemed to balance differently than before.

“Oh, this is definitely not good.” He told himself, mostly to test out if his voice really had been as weird as he thought it had been. He let out a pitiful whimper when it was.

Looking down his new body again his breath caught in his throat at a sudden thought. _Surely not_ , he thought to himself. After a moment’s hesitation, which he needed to gather enough courage, he reached down and tried to take hold of his manhood. _Oh shit_ , was the only thought that he was able to process as he realised just how feminine he had actually become, before his head started to spin and he passed out cold on the floor.

-#-

Draco’s eyes flickered open. It sounded like people around him were panicking. He was fairly sure someone called his name but his head was hurting way too much to want them to do anything other than shut up. Professor Snape’s face came into his eye line, above him, and was clearly not impressed, if his sneer was anything to go by.

It took Draco a few moments to remember why it would be that the Potion Master would be so annoyed with him... and why he was lying on the floor, with such a headache. After the couple of seconds it took for his brain to wake up and the memory returned of what had happened to him, he sat up quite suddenly.

“OUCH!” he yelped, grabbing his forehead with his hands. “I guess I hit my head.”

“I suspect so, though the large quantities of potions you spilt over yourself and my store room will likely also be a contributing factor.” Professor Snape said, his voice made his annoyance clear but Draco didn’t miss the hints of both amusement and concern that also seemed to be present.

"Is now really the time for jokes, Severus?" someone else said, and Draco was fairly sure that it was Professor McGonagall.

"Now, now, Minerva, I am sure you understand that Severus is in mourning for some of his most precious creations."

Draco thought that sounded like the headmaster.

"Honestly, Albus, what are we going to do?" Professor McGonagall asked, obviously worried.

Draco did his best to ignore the bickering professors around him and managed to peer out through his fingers. He couldn't hold back his groan at the sight of broken glass and mixture of potions that was on the floor around him. It was little consolation now that less seemed to have fallen than he had initially thought; three, maybe four, potions he would guess, rather than the nightmare image of maybe ten or so that he had been picturing.

“Well, _Miss_ Malfoy, if you are done destroying my potions collection, I believe it would be wise to do as the Headmaster has suggested and get you to Madam Pomfrey.” Snape said.

Draco thought that the Potion Master was clearly enjoying the situation too much, and that the Transfiguration Professor's concern was far more welcome; but when Snape held out a hand, Draco took it in his own and let the man help him to his feet.

-#-

It had taken a few minutes for Madam Pomfrey to actually be convinced that Severus Snape had not developed a sense of humour and was genuinely being serious when he told her than the young blonde girl was actually Draco Malfoy. It had taken the offer to go fetch the Headmaster and deputy Headmistress, to really persuade the nurse.

By the time Madam Pomfrey had actually gotten around to doing some quick spells to check his health Draco was far from amused; not that he had been particularly entertained by today’s turn of events as it was.

“Well, other than the... erm... obvious effects...” Madam Pomfrey told the Slytherin teenager, indicating his new body, “... you seem to be in perfect health, and all things considered you are very lucky, this could have been much worse.”

Between Snape's grumbling about clumsy students and Draco's repeated attempts to explain, Madam Pomfrey was more or less fully informed about the events which had led to the current situation.

“Lucky?” Draco spluttered out indignantly, not caring that he was completely lacking any of his usual Malfoy dignity. “How is this lucky? I am a... a girl.”

“Draco Lucius Malfoy! You poured a mixture of extremely potent potions over yourself, you are lucky you are alive... and human!” Snape snapped, and the look in his eyes at that moment made Draco wonder if the amusement he had seen and heard before had been nothing but a cover for fear.

“So how long will I be stuck this way?” Draco asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he sulked; he was damn well not going to be seen by the rest of the school in such a state.

“Well, that is a complicated issue," Professor Snape admitted and Draco didn't think he was imagining the way the man seemed unable to meet his eyes. "I will need to try and figure out which potions, other than the transformation potion, exactly caused this..." he said, loosely gesturing at Draco's general person, "before I can even begin to create a counter-potion. That’s if it is even possible to do at all," Snape added with a frown, ploughing on at Draco's look of abject horror. "Undoing transformation potions can be impossible, which is why that potion was being kept in a secure location.”.

Draco’s eyes were wide and for once he seemed to be truly lost for words. Madam Pomfrey had apparently noticed the impending panic and the fear that was quickly threatening to overwhelm the teenager, hurriedly giving him a mild calming draft.

After the few moments it took for the potion to kick in, he seemed to find his words, even if it was a bit shakily. “I... I might be... like this... permanently?" he asked breathlessly, "There has to be... something... anything... which you can try, ” he pleaded.

Snape was deeply concerned. He knew in all honesty, and had from the moment he had walked into the room and found Draco in the puddle of potions, that the chance he could undo what the potions had done was pretty much non-existent. The chance that Draco would ever be male again, was tiny; let alone finding a way to make him back into the boy he had been before. He was worried about Draco’s ability to mentally deal with this, and that wasn't even starting on how well Lucius was going to take the news.

“I will do what I can," Snape promised, "but I suggest you start to figure out how you can live with this, because the odds are against you.”

It was the sadness in Snape’s voice that really broke Draco in that moment; that hammered the magnitude and reality of the situation home; that caused those first few tears to fall. Snape couldn’t watch and, mumbling something about a potion requiring his attention, made quick work of leaving Draco in the care of the school nurse.

Draco felt numb; he didn't even notice Professor Snape leave. He was unable to process anything other than that one of the greatest potions masters in the world seemed to think it was likely his change was permanent. A girl, he was actually a girl. He wasn’t aware of Madam Pomfrey helping him to lie down, nor of where the pillow he was clinging to, as if for dear life, came from. It was a little while before his headache finally faded and he was able to drift into a restless sleep.

-#-

Draco had woken several times in the night, each time struggling to fall back to sleep. His body felt wrong, with new bits added in the wrong places and missing in others; not to mention the bed. The pillows and covers all suddenly felt huge, like drowning in fluffiness; he frowned at the thought because Malfoys didn’t do fluffy.

He glared at the windows of the medical wing; the sun was slowly creeping back into the sky, destroying the darkness of the room and his last hopes of sleep with it. If that thought hadn't been enough for him to permit himself to wake up, then the nurse's annoyed voice from out in the hall way would have been.

“Mr Malfoy, it is too early... I really must insist you return at a later hour.”

Draco sighed at what sounded like Madam Pomfrey attempting to stop his father from entering the medical wing. _Apparently with little success_ , he mentally added as the doors flew open with a loud bang.

“I demand you tell me where my son is,” the tall blond man yelled, his voice echoing viciously off the walls of the mostly empty ward.

The rather flustered, and definitely annoyed, nurse looked as though she was about to answer, when Draco spoke up.

“Father?” Draco said, sitting up carefully in his bed. He pulled the blankets up around his small female form, forced his face into a facade of controlled calm and hesitantly lifted his head to meet his father’s eyes.

This seemed to do nothing but confuse and infuriate the man further and he rounded, once again, on Madam Pomfrey. "WHERE is my SON?!"

“Mr Malfoy, if you would give me a chance....” She tried.

“Father! There was an accident, it’s me...” Draco tried to tell him. He had never been ignored by his father like this before and had already decided it was not to his liking.

“An accident?” Mr Malfoy asked, as he turned and stared at the small pale girl. He approached her with a look of disgust plainly on his face; peering at her closely, inspecting her features as though to see the truth there. “You are telling me, that my one and _only_ heir, was stupid enough to get himself turned into a girl?!” he snarled angrily.

Draco blanched; this was not going well.

“When will my Son be returned to me?” Lucius asked the nurse; ignoring his only child, whose world seemed to be falling apart at an alarming rate.

“Draco is right there,” Madam Pomfrey attempted to point out, but Malfoy senior did nothing but continue to stare at her with cold demanding grey eyes. She tried to explain further but there was no denying that he made her nervous. “We... erm... well, we are not sure if it will be possible to return him to his original form.”

“You mean to tell me this school has cost me my heir?” Lucius growled with rage. “I will be prosecuting!”he informed her angrily; slamming his fist down on a nearby table, sending the vase on it tumbling to the floor when it smashed, shattering glass fragments across the ground.

“FATHER!” Draco cried out. He finally scrabbling to get out of the bed when it looked as though the man he had looked up to his whole life was about to walk out the door. "Father!" he called out again.

The elder man turned and stormed back towards him, the sound of the glass underfoot crunching loudly in the quiet room. He seized the teenager by the chin and forcing Draco's face around, such that they were eye to eye and only a few inches apart. Lucius spoke quietly and with such malice that Draco couldn’t hold in the fresh tears that escaped.

“I am not your father; what _USE_ do I have for a child too stupid to prevent themselves being turned into a girl? I have no use for a _daughter_...” he sneered, spitting out the word as though it disgusted him. A smooth and large thumb traced Draco's cheek, forcing away the tear tracks from the pale skin, “... particularly one that cries.”

Draco was, for the second time in two days, completely speechless; he had lost everything. He could only watch in horror, as the father he had believed really loved him, walked out the door without a second look back.

Draco felt as his legs failed him and fell to his knees; he didn’t even feel the pain as they hit the hard floor. He was disowned, or would be soon he was sure; he had no money, no family, no home, not even a name. He was just Draco now, which made him chuckle with the dark humour of the situation; the only thing he had left, his first name, was a boy’s name, and he wasn’t even that any more. He was the girl with nothing but a boy’s name.

-#-

The school was rife with rumours; well it was a school after all. These particular rumours were all focused on the most annoying pompous git Harry had thought he had ever known; and yet, Harry felt sorry for him. Sure the turning into a girl bit, that was weird, but it was the losing his family that had really broken Harry's heart.

He did, after all, know exactly what it was like to be alone in the world; to have nothing. It was strange to think that the arrogant and aristocratic Draco Malfoy was, more or less, gone. Harry wasn't exactly expecting something, even of this magnitude, to stop the blond from being an arrogant git; but it wasn't as though the other teen would truly be able to put on his aristocratic airs anymore.

And, if the rumours were true, Draco wasn't even a Malfoy anymore and Harry definitely felt for him there. At least when he had been orphaned he was still a Potter, he was allowed that small piece of his heritage; and since joining the wizarding world Harry had found he had the inheritance locked away safely in a vault too. All in all Harry James Potter felt sorry for Draco; not that he was going to tell Ron that.

-#-

Draco barely noticed or at least didn’t remember much over the next couple of days. Madam Pomfrey said it was shock and Draco thought she was probably right. He didn’t feel like himself, though he was slowly starting to think that that didn’t seem to be as much of a negative thing as he had anticipated it would being. He most surprised to note that he felt freer; he had nothing left to lose.  It was with this in mind that Draco entered the great hall for breakfast that Tuesday.

He was not surprised that word had gotten out about his situation; that the Hogwarts students were aware of both his transformation and subsequent disowning. It was however an unpleasant feeling, having to listen to all the mutterings as he made his way over to his usual spot at the Slytherin table.

“Draco...” Blaise’s greeting lacked all warmth but was at least better than being completely ignored, which was what happened with everyone else.  When Draco continued to look at them all expectantly it was Pansy who finally thrust a copy of the Daily Prophet into his hands.

**_‘Mr Draco Malfoy was officially disowned by his father, Mr Lucius Malfoy, on Monday morning.'_** He started to read; he chanced a glance up at his peers, but they were already back in conversation with each other and eating happily as though he wasn't there. He scowled at them and returned his attention to the paper.

**_'This was following an incident which left the former Malfoy heir in a female form and therefore unable to carry on the Malfoy name. Malfoy senior was reported as saying that he was ‘very disappointed’ and would be ‘taking steps’ to ensure the Malfoy family would continue.’_ **

Fighting not to completely lose it in front of the whole school, Draco slammed the paper back onto the table in front of Pansy. _Taking steps?_ Did that mean that he was being replaced by a sibling he would likely never even meet? No they would never even be given the chance to be siblings at all; the Malfoy family was no business of his anymore.

“So I take it you agree with my father then?" Draco asked, and there was no keeping the bitterness from his voice, so he didn't even bother to try, "Only worth your time if I am the Malfoy heir?”

“Well no need to get all teary over it, Draco.” Theo chuckled; the others around him smiled or smirked with approval of this apparent joke.

Draco couldn’t take it. He had been wrong; he seemingly had a few more things this world was determined to strip from him; his pride and his self-respect, both of which were already far from their usual top form. It was only with great stubbornness that he was able to hold his head high as he left the hall, under the watchful gaze of the entire student body; including a set of emerald green eyes, which were narrowed in thought.

-#-

"Look," Ron said gleefully, nudging Harry with his elbow.

Harry rolled his eyes and tried to mop up the milk that Ron had made him spill, before he looked up to see what his friend was gesturing at. It wasn't hard to make out where Draco was entering the Great Hall, heads turning to follow him as he went.

"Blimey, they weren't kidding about him being a girl," Ron whispered to Hermione, who nodded.

Draco was tiny; that was Harry's first impression. He was still pale and blond, and his hair was no longer than it had been before; but there was definitely no question that the former Malfoy was now female.

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer person," Ron said sarcastically.

Harry ignored him; it had been probably the fifth time that the red-head had said something of that ilk that week and Harry thought it unlikely that Ron would understand the sympathy he was feeling for the blond. Harry watched on sadly as Draco read the Daily Prophet, which he already knew contained news of the Slytherin boy's official disownment.

"What's with you, mate?" Ron asked, "I thought given that it's Malfoy and all, that you would be enjoying this a bit more."

Harry continued to watch on with sympathy and concern as the other Slytherins all but chased the now petite blonde from the hall. Harry grabbed an apple and turned to Ron.

"That's just it though, isn't it; that isn't Malfoy anymore," Harry tried to explain in a whisper. "That is just Draco, a boy who has literally lost everything in the space of a few days," he said, getting to his feet and grabbing his bag. " I'll see you in class," he told Ron and Hermione, before following after the blonde.

-#-

Draco made it about three corridors away before his spirit broke; he leaned back against a stone wall, enjoying the cold as it crept across his skin. he let his knees give out and his body fold so that he was sitting on the floor; resting his forehead on his knees he cried.

_Again?_ he thought to himself. He really was a woman now; he was quite sure he had never cried this much in his whole life before. He remembered that Madam Pomfrey had been muttering something about new hormone levels, but he neither understood, nor cared to.

“You must be hungry.”

Draco knew that voice without even looking up. _Damn it_ , he thought to himself; of all the people to find him like this.

“What do you want Potter?" Draco asked. "Are you really going to come here and kick me while I am down?” He put his best scowl firmly in place before he looked up.

Potter was standing pretty close and due to both Draco’s seat on the floor, and his now smaller size, the boy seemed somehow much taller and more muscular than he had before. He was holding out an apple and seemed to be genuinely shocked at the harshness of Draco’s response.

“Erm... actually just the opposite, but if you are going to be a bitch about it...” Potter actually managed a pretty good imitation of Draco’s own smirk, but when Draco stopped scowling and didn’t say anything more, he let it change into a smile.

“Here,” Potter said, offering the apple again.

This time Draco took it, and when the tanned palm was stretched towards him to help him up, he took that too.

“Thanks,” the Slytherin muttered under his breath.

“No problem, just looked like you could do with someone on your side today,” Potter said with a shrug as if it was just something anyone would have done.

Draco supposed perhaps it was something any Gryffindor would have done; though as soon as he thought that he realised that it was only Potter who was actually there offering something that was worryingly close to a friendly gesture.

“See you around Ma... erm... Draco.”

Draco hardly noticed when the dark hair teen had headed off down the corridor and managed to only wince slightly at the accidental, almost, use of his former name.


	2. New Allegiance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the re-written (and hopefully improved) version of chapter 2  
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek, who has helped iron my small idiocies out of this chapter.

_ Previously: _

_“No problem, just looked like you could do with someone on your side today,” Potter said with a shrug as if it was just something anyone would have done._

_Draco supposed perhaps it was something any Gryffindor would have done; though as soon as he thought that he realised that it was only Potter who was actually there offering something that was worryingly close to a friendly gesture._

_“See you around Ma... erm... Draco.”_

_Draco hardly noticed when the dark hair teen had headed off down the corridor and managed to only wince slightly at the accidental, almost, use of his former name._

-#-

The following few weeks were more boring than anything for Draco. He had taken to eating meals in the kitchens, since he was no longer welcome at the Slytherin table, and had his own private room; Dumbledore had insisted that sleeping in either the boys’ or girls’ dormitories would now be inappropriate. He was lonely and only really spending any time with anyone during classes; even then he was rarely spoken to, and he had taken to generally keeping to himself as he scribbled notes or completed the set tasks.

Once or twice he could have sworn he had seen Potter smile at him encouragingly, which was a rather peculiar sight, and at least once he heard  the Gryffindor telling off a group of Ravenclaw girls, who had been gossiping about Draco's fall from grace. It was all rather confusing; Draco felt he was supposed to hate Potter; that was what he had always done, but the other boy seemed determined to make that as difficult as possible.

Draco was fairly sure that it was all pity; he was the poor little lost cause without a family now and undoubtedly it was some ridiculous hero complex that was making Potter be so... nice. Draco wasn't exactly happy about it, but there were plenty of things that he was even less happy about, so just embraced it. After all, whatever Potter's motivations, he was more or less the only student left in the school who seemed to remember that Draco was a real person and Draco couldn’t help but feel reluctantly grateful.

He reminded himself that he had once offered the hand of friendship to Potter, and that maybe the other teen wasn't as bad as he liked to believe; but that just reminded him of how that had gone and how he had been humiliated in the process. Draco scoffed; trust Potter to finally decide to be friendly, on his own terms, now that Draco was worthy of his sympathy.

A scowl crept onto the pale features of his face; he stabbed his knife into the pie he was eating. _Alone in the kitchen_ , he pointed out to himself, _surrounded by house elves_ , he added miserably.

All his alone time had given him a lot of time to think and he had used to re-evaluate the life choices that he had never been allowed to make. He was determined to find a silver lining and he had realised he just might have found one.

Draco had long ago realised he was gay, but had put the thought from his mind as irrelevant; he had known his obligations to his family and no matter his inclinations he had known that he would marry a pure-blood girl and have pretty little pure-blood children, or at least a son to carry on the name. He had made it very clear in his mind that he would not find Potter, or any other man, attractive. It had never been something that he had found difficult and had just taken it in stride; it was the price he paid to be a Malfoy.

Now, of course, he wasn't a Malfoy; he was free from such things and, as such, it occurred to him that it previously unavailable options were suddenly viable. It had also not escaped his attention that his attraction to other men was perhaps slightly more practical given his new body and it certainly opened up some new opportunities.

This new-found freedom to look for relationships was however dampened somewhat by the fact that no-one in the school wanted anything to do with him. _Well almost no-one in the school_ , he corrected himself.

 _Fuck!_ Draco mentally cursed; how did his thoughts always come around full circle right back to that God-damned green-eyed Gryffindor? Potter had always been able to get under his skin but he would not fall into the mistake of thinking that the handsome dark-haired teen would ever be interested in a washed-up boy-turned-girl like him. Sure they weren't rivals anymore, but he was fairly sure that that was more due to his loss of status making it a rather uneven playing field.

After managed to force his way through about half the food which the house elves had given him, Draco got up to leave. He wasn’t able to eat as much as he used to but he supposed his smaller body didn’t require as much energy as his male one had. He paid no attention to the elves bustling around him as he stepped out from behind the fruit bowl painting and he was still lost in his own thoughts when he collided with what seemed to be another person. His hands automatically reached out and pressed against, what he couldn't help but notice was a beautifully toned chest. He slowly looked up and found his face a few inches from the clearly amused features of Harry Potter. Damn his luck.

“Draco?” Potter had raised an eyebrow and seemed to be waiting for the blonde to do something, but it seemed that Draco couldn’t manage words at that moment. “Is there a reason you are still practically leaning on me?” Potter asked biting his lip slightly, seemingly to prevent himself from laughing.

The blonde suddenly realised he had yet to remove his hands, or move at all, since their collision, but now jumped back as if someone had cast a stinging jinx on him.

“Err.... well... umm.”  Apparently close contact with Potter resulted in a complete loss of all eloquence, as if he didn’t have enough of an effect over him already.

“That was eloquent, Draco.” Potter said with a chuckle, apparently thinking along the same lines.

"What are you doing down here?" Draco asked, a bit more standoffishly than he had intended; Harry however seemed unfazed.

“I missed dinner," he explained, gesturing at the painting which had fallen closed behind Draco, "I was just going to get some food from the kitchen. Have you been eating down here?" he asked suddenly, his brow furrowing, "Was wondering why you hadn’t been in the Great Hall at all recently.”

“Yeah, well _they_ made it quite clear I wasn’t welcome,” Draco said and Harry noticed he was frowning again.

Draco didn’t really feel like talking about this with Potter, he didn't really feel like talking about anything with anyone, but it was just starting to sink in that the other teen had noticed his absence from meals.

“You been watching me, Potter?” he asked, even managing a small smirk.

“Err....”

Draco chuckled slightly, it was good to know he wasn't the only one who had problems with articulating their thoughts. “I know you have been watching my back," Draco told him, "and I have seen you looking at me sometimes in the corridors. If I didn’t know better, Potter, I would say you fancied me.”

“Err...” Potter still seemed unable to manage actual words.

Draco’s eyebrows shot up; he had assumed that the other teen would automatically start throwing denials and telling him how ridiculous even the idea of fancying Draco was. _But surely not_ , Draco thought to himself; it didn't seem very likely, after all, that Harry Potter, of all people, would have a crush on him. Of course, Draco wasn't really a 'him' anymore, and that did lend credit to the theory.

Maybe he _was_ at lot closer to the truth than he had thought. Well that changed things... or did it? Did Draco want Potter to like him that way? Was he really happy with the idea that Potter might sweep in and be his knight in shining armour?

The butterflies in his stomach and that his heart going twice as fast as normal seemed to indicate that yes, that is exactly what he wanted; and wasn't that quite something. But his brain was less happy about the idea and not giving in without a fight.

“See you around, Potter.” Draco said a little too quickly.

He just about managed to force his trademark smirk onto his face and hoped it looked as good on his female features, as it had done on his male ones; he gathered up every scrap of pride he had left, held his head high and strode past the Gryffindor; hoping he had at least managed to claim some of his dignity back.

-#-

Apparently it was not only Potter who had noted his absence from meal times, which was a shame, because he had started to almost enjoy the time he had alone with his thoughts; it was not so easy to learn what one truly wants when you have been raised with such unwavering expectations on your shoulders.

However, it was only a few days later when he was summoned to Dumbledore’s office during lunch; Draco briefly wondered if Potter who had spoken to the headmaster about his meal time habits, but discarded this quickly as not the Gryffindors style. If Potter really had taken issue or been worried, he would have confronted Draco himself.

“Draco," the Headmaster said kindly, "I am concerned about how isolated you are becoming. I really must insist you return to eating in the Great Hall. I cannot allow you to continue eating alone.”

Draco frowned but didn’t comment. He was not surprised that the Headmaster had noticed his absence from meal times and couldn't help but wonder if he knew where he had been going to eat. _Probably_ , Draco concluded, the man did seem way too aware of everything.

“I can understand your reluctance to eat with your housemates, given their recent hostility but might I suggest eating at one of the other house tables?" Dumbledore said, leaning forward and peering over his half moon spectacles. "There have never been any rules to say you have to sit with your own house.”

Draco scoffed at this. It wasn't as though any of the other houses would be more welcoming than his own; but as soon as this thought passed through his head, he knew it wasn’t true and exactly what the meddling Headmaster had in mind. Potter would happily make space for him with the Gryffindors.  He let out a groan at the thought of everyone’s reaction to him sitting with Potter and company for meals. He heart sank even further at the thought of Weasley and Granger's reactions.

“I am sure Mr Potter would be delighted to have your company and would be happy to take measures to ensure his friends were equally welcoming.” Dumbledore said and his  eyes twinkled.

Draco was sure the Headmaster knew what he had been thinking and couldn't help but wonder just how good at legilimency the man was. There was nothing to be done about it though. Draco knew he had already lost before he had even stepped into the office; this was not something that was up for debate.

“Yes, Sir,” he agreed.

The Headmaster gave him a pleased smile. “Now that that is settled, you had better get back to class. We wouldn’t want you to miss what, I am sure, is a very interesting History of Magic lesson," Dumbledore said.

Draco nodded politely and took his leave;  knowing he would be eating his meals with the Gryffindors starting tomorrow. Now he just had to find Potter and ask him. Great, like he needed to owe him any more favours.

-#-

“Potter.” Draco called out as they were leaving History of Magic at the end of the day.

The dark-haired boy turned with a shocked expression at the sound of being called by Draco; sadly Weasley and Granger turned too.  Potter  walked back down the corridor towards him and leaned casually against the stone wall; Draco managed to look like a stereotype of an embarrassed school girl, looking down and playing with her own hands. He was glad that Weasley and Granger didn’t come any closer, but mildly annoyed that they showed no signs of leaving either; he really could have done without the audience.

“I was wondering if I could eat with you at the Gryffindor table.” Draco said so quietly that Harry barely heard what he said.

“Of course.” He didn’t even hesitate, there was no pretence that he needed time to think about it, and Draco smugly thought that he even seemed quite keen on the idea. “Come on, let’s get some dinner,” Harry said, waving Draco to follow as he turned and headed back towards his friends.

Draco was still in shock with how easy that had been, he had at least expected some teasing, and so it took him a few moments to realise that Potter meant for him to follow him now.

“Well are you coming?” Harry called back.

He had just caught up with Weasley and Granger, who were rolling their eyes.  Apparently they thought that their friend might have taken his saving people thing a bit too far this time. Draco actually smiled; something which felt almost alien to him, and he jogged slightly to catch up with the three friends.

Draco walked a few paces behind them; listening to, but not exactly joining in, their conversation and when they reached the Gryffindor table in the great hall, he sat down next to Potter; his back to the rest of the room and across from Weasley and Granger.

-#-

He had been very aware of the muttering around the hall about the Slytherin girl sat with the Gryffindor trio and Potter had told him repeatedly to ignore them. Easier said than done however, though after a couple of days, people seemed to accept that this was going to be the new norm and they lost interest. The taunting in the corridors seemed to have decreased somewhat too; Draco suspected that they saw him as under Potter’s protection now and therefore out of bounds.

It was kind of funny, to Draco at least, that Granger and Weasley seemed to have taken a similar attitude; they initially more or less ignored him, letting Harry do what he felt he needed to do, but paying no further attention to the intruder in their group.

Weasley had openly grumbled about Draco's presence for a few days, but the complaints stopped so suddenly over night that Draco knew that Harry had said something in private; and once those comments stopped everyone seemed to almost forget the strangeness of the situation.

They were sitting at dinner when Granger was once again nagging both Weasley and Potter about studying; something that Draco had noticed she had a great penchant for.

“Just because we don’t have exams this year doesn’t mean that we don’t need to keep up with our studies, you will be so behind next year if you don’t...”

“Granger, give them a break," Draco said suddenly. "It is the final task of the tournament in a few days; can’t we all just enjoy the fact that we don’t have to be breaking our backs to learn some small titbit of knowledge for once.”

Draco was barely aware that he had spoken out loud, until he realised that all the students sitting around them were staring at him; most of them seemed shocked but Potter was grinning.

“So you do speak around people other than me then,” he said and his green eyes were smiling as much as his lips.

“Umm, yeah...” was all Draco could manage. He was actually a little embarrassed and focused back on his dinner; he still felt like he was intruding.

“You can call me Hermione you know,” Granger told him.

Draco looked up, confusion on his face.

"You called me Granger, no one here calls me that; you can call me Hermione," she said again.

“We are trying to be your friends, Draco," Harry said, clearly amused by how baffled the blonde appeared to be. "For us, that usually means first names. I mean we call you Draco.” Potter told him, Granger nodded whilst Weasley grumbled something about ‘if we have to’.

“Well that is the only name I have now so...” Draco mumbled but he didn’t even finish the sentence before he saw Potter scowling at him. “... fine, I will try to remember to call you Harry." he conceded, "Happy now?”

Apparently Harry was because he was wearing that stupid grin of his again, when he nodded, before turning his attention back to his food. Draco had to hold in a chuckle. It was all a new to him and more than a little bit weird; it was so different from Slytherin. The Gryffindors were so childish sometimes and their friendships seemed to genuine; but if he was honest with himself, even if he didn't completely understand it yet, he did kind of love it. Had he actually just found friends again?

-#-

The last month of school was much easier than the previous one had been; Draco was even able to enjoy watching that Hufflepuff, Cedric Diggory, win the tournament. Lessons were better now she was sitting with Harry in all the ones they shared and meals were filled with easy conversations that she even occasionally joined in with.

She was surprised how easily the majority of the Gryffindors had gotten used to her presence and while she was hardly considered one of them, the comments and insults were few are far between. Draco even found she talked with Hermione nearly as much as she did Harry, and though Ron and she were not exactly close, there was a kind of acceptance between them.

 She was also become more used to the idea of being a girl now and had also taken to trying to encourage the use female pronouns; as Harry had said with a shrug one day, in for a Knut, in for a Galleon. Snape had finally confirmed that with the mixture of potions, any reversal of the changes would likely be fatal, if he could manage it at all and Draco found herself shocked that this news didn't upset her half as she assumed it would. Draco wasn't really completely at ease with her new identity but she definitely found that some of the freedoms it allowed her might be worth the strangeness.

However as it went into the last two weeks of term Harry became aware of how quiet and withdrawn Draco was once again becoming and it worried him; he had grown used to the sarcastic and witty remarks that would get thrown into their conversations . As the blonde was about to head back off to her room one evening, Harry placed a hand on her shoulder

“Are you okay?” he whispered to Draco.

“You coming?” Ron called from the bottom of the grand staircase, when Harry had stopped unexpectedly to wait for her response.

“Yeah! Go ahead Ron. I’ll meet you back in the common room.” Harry called to where Hermione and Ron were standing. Ron frowned and looked at Hermione in confusion, but she was none the wiser and just shrugged; figuring they could just ask Harry when he caught up they nodded their understanding and headed off up the stairs.

“So you going to tell me what it is that is bothering you?” Harry asked as he turned back around to face Draco; it was a sign of how far their friendship had come along, that she hadn’t taken those moments to make her escape.

Draco took a few seconds to think, she wasn’t sure she really wanted to share how anxious the rapidly approaching summer holiday was making her. Was she really going to hand Harry, her former rival, a trump card like that? It seemed, however, that in her hesitation the decision was taken out of her hands.

“You worried about the summer?” Harry asked

She knew that the look of surprise at his intuitive guess had given her away before she had even made a choice; but there was no mocking in his voice, only what seemed to be genuine concern. Draco was amazed, and slightly confused, that once again the Gryffindor seemed to practically be able to read her mind.

She just nodded slightly at his question. “I have no idea where I am supposed to go,” she admitted quietly, looking down at the floor as soon as she realised she was close to tears; _stupid woman hormones_ , she grumbled mentally; sure she was never going to get used to them.

“Draco...” Harry said, as he took hold of the Slytherin’s chin and made her look back up again. “I was wondering if you were ever planning on asking for help with that. I wasn’t planning on just letting you go homeless, you know. I would be surprised if Dumbledore or Snape would have let you either,” he pointed out with a soft smile.

Draco didn’t respond; she continued to stare into Harry’s impossibly green eyes and just let a single tear roll down her face. She supposed that if she really thought about it, she knew that she wasn’t going to be left to fend for herself, but it was difficult to get used to the idea of relying on someone other than Lucius Malfoy for anything; in truth she had grown not only used to, but fond of her independence.

She suddenly gasped in shock when Harry leaned forward and kissed the tear away; the whole world seemed to freeze and she was unable to process what just happened. The shock was so much, that when Harry took her hand and began to lead her somewhere, she put up no resistance at all.

“Erm, where are we going?” She eventually managed to ask when she realised they were not heading back to her room and that she was just trusting Harry to lead them.

“Dumbledore, to tell him he needs to let us both stay here,” Harry said calmly, as though it should have been obvious.

Draco felt slightly put off that he didn’t even seem a little bit off kilter given what had just happened between them; in fact Harry was grinning from ear to ear. He was also apparently very determined as he showed no signs of stopping to explain anything to Draco.

-#-

“You better come in.” Dumbledore’s voice sounded from the other side of the door, just as Harry raised his hand to knock.

They shared an amused look with each other before Harry pushed the door open and they made their way into the office. The old man was sitting behind his desk, apparently mid conversation with Madam Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape; who had all turned to stare at the two of them as they stood in the doorway.

Draco had almost forgotten that her petite hand was still held loosely in Harry’s; that was until he suddenly dropped it at the sight of the other occupants in the room. Things between them were sort of in a weird middle ground between comfortable and incredibly awkward; but being seen holding hands definitely made their whole world shift a fair few paces back towards awkward.

“I am imagining that you have come to ask if you can both be allowed to stay at Hogwarts for the duration of the summer,” Dumbledore said knowingly, peering over the top of his spectacles with a piercing gaze.

Draco wondered if the way the Headmaster looked at them made Harry want to shift on the spot, as much as it did her; or if he was blushing as badly as she was under the watchful and apparently confused gazes of the other professors. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted him to, so she wouldn’t be the only one, or would rather he didn’t, in the hopes that the adults wouldn’t assume things about them.

However, it seemed that Harry’s focus was still on Dumbledore. “Erm, yeah,” Harry replied, with a hopeful smile. “Actually that is exactly what we were hoping.”

Draco remained silent; quite happy to remain half hidden behind the taller Gryffindor; slightly confused about why Harry was so keen on staying at Hogwarts.

“We have talked about this before Harry,” Dumbledore told him, “it is safer if you return to your aunt and uncle’s.”

Draco glanced up at Harry’s face and was sure that she could almost see his heart breaking. She really would have to ask him about that later, she decided.

“However...” the Headmaster continued; his voice stern. “I have been unable to think of an alternative suitable location where Draco could stay safely and I believe it would be unfair to permit one student to stay, but not another,” he explained.

By this point Harry was grinning madly and bouncing slightly on his heels. Draco didn’t really understand his excitement but was more preoccupied by the rather alarming protective streak she felt; making her mentally swear that if the Headmaster was cruel enough to wipe that hopeful grin from Harry’s face, then she wouldn’t rest until he had paid for it.

“With this in mind,” Dumbledore told them, smiling at Harry’s child like impatience, “I have been making arrangements for you _both_ to remain at the school for the duration of the holidays.”

Apparently that was as much as Harry could handle, and unable to contain his joy any longer, he turned around and pulled Draco into a tight hug. Draco, however, was completely overwhelmed by the unexpected, and rather public, display of affection; still in a state of shock she stood almost like a scarecrow, eyes wide and arms slightly out to the sides. She glanced up and caught sight of the amused expressions on the faces of the others in the room.

“I told you it would be okay.” Harry whispered in her ear, bringing an involuntary smile to her face.


	3. What We Feel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the re-written (and hopefully improved) version of chapter 3  
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek, who has helped iron my small idiocies out of this chapter.

_ Previously: _

_“With this in mind,” Dumbledore told them, smiling at Harry’s child like impatience, “I have been making arrangements for you both to remain at the school for the duration of the holidays.”_

_Apparently that was as much as Harry could handle, and unable to contain his joy any longer, he turned around and pulled Draco into a tight hug. Draco, however, was completely overwhelmed by the expected, and rather public, display of affection; still in a state of shock she stood almost like a scarecrow, eyes wide and arms slightly out to the sides. Draco glanced up and caught sight of the amused expressions on the faces of the others in the room._

_“I told you it would be okay.” Harry whispered in her ear, bringing an involuntary smile to her face._

-#-

“Harry...?”

They were sitting near the lake while everyone else was busy packing to go home. Both of them had their heads in books but Draco had been lost in her own thoughts for some time, rather than actually reading.

“Hmm...” Harry responded without looking up.

“Why did you want to stay at Hogwarts so badly? I mean... don’t you want to go stay with your family? I would have been annoyed at you for staying for my sake, but that can’t be it because why would you and Dumbledore have already talked about it before?” Draco realised she had been starting to ramble and so stopped to take in Harry’s expression and was surprised to see a frown.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” she hastily added.

Harry carefully marked his page and put the book down, biting his lip; he seemed to be considering something for a few moments and Draco could do naught but be patient. She wasn’t going to push him into talking about something he didn’t want to, not when they were just really starting to trust each other.

“No, I will tell you,” Harry said eventually, “it is just... well... I don’t talk about it usually,” he explained. “Not even with Ron and Hermione, but they already know the gist of it, so there is never really anything to talk about.”

He frowned at a patch of grass but Draco knew to wait. The air was thick and tense around them, and it took another moment before Harry was ready to look up; but when he did, he turned so that they were sitting facing each other. Draco gave him a reassuring smile, hopeful that maybe he was actually going to open up to her.

“You might already know this but my aunt, uncle and cousin, the Dursleys, are the only family I have left,” Harry said and Draco gave him a small nod of confirmation. “Well, my aunt is my mother’s sister but they weren’t exactly close. The Dursleys pretty much hate and fear all things to do with magic; and yes, that does include me and my parents.”

Draco knew she was staring but couldn’t help it; the very idea sounded crazy, why would muggles be anything other than jealous of magic. To hate and fear it just made no sense to her at all, and hating family members because they DID have magic just seemed so backwards that it was almost funny. She was pretty glad that Harry suddenly seemed to be very interested in a few pieces of grass by his feet; mildly amused confusion was probably not the expression he would want to see on her face when he was speaking about these things.

 “They hated you?” Draco queried, hoping to encourage him to continue; but also hoping she had misunderstood.

But Harry just nodded.

“Then why would Dumbledore make you live with them?” Draco asked in genuine confusion.

It had been her assumption that Harry Potter had grown up a pampered and adored little child, no matter who he grew up with, muggles or wizards. Draco had believed that they should have been friends because surely they were both important and had grown up knowing it; to learn that Harry had grown up so differently... she was going to have to rethink a few of her basic assumptions about the other teen; _maybe I will finally have a chance of understanding him_ , she thought to herself.

“Yeah, they really hated me,” Harry said after a few more minutes, “I spent the first eleven years of my life with the cupboard under the stairs as my room. I have been cooking, or at least helping to cook, their meals since I could reach the stove with a step; I never had a birthday party; I never got presents for any occasion and all my clothes were the ones my cousin Dudley had grown out of,” Harry ranted; letting out his frustrations and anger at the upbringing he was forced into.

“I have been asking Dumbledore since I was eleven years old and first found out I was a wizard, begging him to not make me go back there.” Harry explained, looking up at Draco with a burning intensity in his eyes, “Apparently I had to though; some blood protection my mother left with me when she died.” At this Draco thought Harry sounded almost defeated, but his Gryffindor bravery won out, and he went on. “According to Dumbledore, living with my aunt kept that protection going; something about their house being my home; but it isn’t like Voldemort has even tried to do anything since my first year. I am just as safe here at Hogwarts, anyway; if not more so.”

Draco was stunned, not sure that she really knew Harry at all; not really sure that many people did, but feeling determined to be one of the few he would let in. The two teenagers sat in silence managing to not meet each other’s eyes; quite a feat given they were facing each other, but this had been a very personal conversation and neither was completely comfortable with their new-found closeness just yet.

“Harry! Draco!” Hermione’s voice carried across the grounds; disturbing the peaceful moment and catching both of their attention.

“Guess it is time for the leaving feast. Coming?” Harry asked as he got to his feet first; holding out a hand and helping Draco to hers.

They gathered up their books and the blanket, hurrying to join the usual group of Gryffindors who were making their way into the Great Hall. It was strange to know that they would have the castle more or less to themselves in a few hours; sure there would still be the majority of the staff, but without the students it would almost certainly be very quiet.

Many of the Gryffindors had been surprised to hear that they would be willingly staying at school, but Ron and Hermione understood and made Harry and Draco promise to come and visit at The Burrow for a week at least. Well Ron made Harry promise and Hermione had pointed out that Draco was, of course, welcome too.

“You sure you want to stay here Harry?” Ron asked hopefully for the third time that day.

Draco hid her laugh at the annoyed expression on Harry’s face by taking a swig of her pumpkin juice. Harry was definitely tired of trying to explain to Ron but although the red-head knew that Harry and Draco had grown a lot closer, he couldn’t get his head around his best friend wanting to spend that much time with the blonde.

 “Yes Ron, I am sure, I am staying here,” Harry said, clearly struggling not to yell the words. “Besides, as I have already told you, I will have Draco for company. I am sure we will find some way to entertain ourselves,” he added.

At this Hermione’s eyebrows disappeared into her hairline and Draco promptly choked on her drink. As Harry patted Draco on the back asking if she was okay, Hermione met the Slytherin teen’s eyes with an expression that made it very clear she hadn’t missed how close Draco and Harry had been getting. Ron and Harry however seemed to be completely oblivious to the potential implications of Harry’s chosen words and the girls, particularly Draco, felt it was best to let them stay that way.

-#-

It was a warm summer’s day, and Harry and Draco watched from the astronomy tower as the streams of students made their way to Hogsmeade to catch the Hogwarts Express back to London. The two of them were both painfully aware that the majority of students were returning home happily to see their families, whilst they would remain in the school because they were that alone in the world. It was definitely a bitter-sweet moment; both of them glad to be allowed to stay but mourning the losses in their lives.

“Want to fly for a bit?” Draco asked once they had watched the train leave the station, it was nearly noon and they both needed the distraction.

“Sure, sounds good,” Harry said with a smile at the blonde. “Have you actually been on a broom since... well... the accident?” he asked hesitantly, as they started down the stairs from the tower.

“No... I have been putting it off,” she confessed, having to move her relatively short legs fairly quickly to keep pace with him. “What if I can’t fly anymore?” she asked.

Harry noticed that Draco looked genuinely anxious and slowed his pace to watch her more closely.

“You waited to fly with me because you were worried?” he asked; feeling incredible flattered and not even trying to hide how pleased he was.

“Yeah, well I figured you would be the most likely to manage to catch me if I fall,” Draco said and she couldn’t help but blush as an image of just that flashed through her mind. “Besides, better just you witnessing my humiliation, than the whole school. I thought there was at least some chance of you not telling everyone,” she teased; though, in truth, it was something she genuinely feared could happen.

“Of course I wouldn’t tell people,” Harry said, looking almost hurt that she had thought he would do such a thing. “And don’t worry, I won’t let you fall,” he promised. “Come on; let’s go teach you to fly all over again,” he said excitedly; taking Draco’s hand and dragging her through the corridors of the castle towards the Quidditch pitch.

“Accio broomsticks,” he called out, as they exited into the grounds towards the pitch.

By the time they had found Quidditch robes that didn’t swallow Draco completely, and both changed, their brooms were floating outside the changing rooms waiting for them.

“Ready?” Harry asked as he climbed onto his firebolt.

Draco took a deep breath. _You have to do this sometime_ , she told herself; climbing onto her Nimbus 2001.

“I meant what I said, I won’t let you fall. I promise!” Harry shouted from a short way above her, apparently having spotted her hesitation. He sounded serious and concerned. Draco braced herself mentally for a few seconds more and then pushed off from the ground.

The air on her face and the sense of freedom made Draco feel like herself in a way nothing else had done in months; she was laughing out loud with pure joy. She was taking it slow, still slightly unsure with her balance, but apparently she truly was a natural, as flying seemed as easy as ever. She chanced a look to see where Harry was and true to his word he was circling below where she was flying; the safety net boosting her confidence. She sped up, doing a couple of fast laps before she flew over to Harry.

“Were you enjoying that?” Harry asked unnecessarily.

“It’s amazing... I think I will be okay now,” she told him. “Are you going to fly with me properly?”

“If you’re sure...?” he asked.

Draco nodded; she had really missed flying against Harry and he didn’t need to be told twice. He was off at high speed, Draco not far behind; the pair of them narrowly missing each other as they flew together.

They revelled in the sunshine, dipping and diving, soaring high above the ground in playful competition. They had been flying for maybe half an hour, in the intense summer heat; they were racing almost directly up into the sky.

“Draco, be careful! Please!” Harry called out seeing how Draco was bursting with determined to push her limits. He was concerned that it could be too much, given that he was feeling somewhat light-headed from the heat himself.

He was very glad that he had listened to his instincts, and hung back slightly, when Draco appeared to simply slide off the end of her broom. He had been mostly joking about catching her but didn’t hesitate to fly into her path and easily placed an arm around the falling girl’s waist, pulling her safely onto his broom and against his chest.

As his feet touched solid ground and he got them both off the broom, he let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding and wiped tears he didn’t notice crying from his eyes.

“Draco, come on, wake up now,” he commanded firmly.

He was holding her small form tightly in his arms against his chest and he was suddenly aware of how small she was; how the shorts she was wearing showed off most of her beautiful legs and the loose top was clearly doing nothing to show of the curves he could feel she had.

“Harry... you really did catch me,” she said; her voice quiet and shaky and she made no attempt to move from Harry’s arms. “Thank you.”

“You scared me half to death!” he chastised, but there was no anger there, only worry.

His fingers were running through her beautiful blonde hair which she was letting grow out; holding her close against him protectively.

“Of course I was going to catch you,” he told her and he didn’t let himself think before he placed a kiss on the top of the small Slytherin’s hair. It was a tense half a second but Harry smiled when he felt Draco relax against him even more.

“Perhaps we should go inside...” Draco mumbled slightly awkwardly but still didn’t make any indication that she was ready to let go of Harry.

“Dobby,” Harry called out quietly summoning the house elf.

“Harry Potter. How can Dobby be helpings you, Sir?” the small elf asked.

“Can you find and put away both of our brooms?”

“Of course, Harry Potter, Sir,” the elf said, nodding enthusiastically before he vanished into thin air.

Harry turned back to the girl still cuddled up against his chest; he was surprisingly comfortable with her there. Or perhaps not so surprisingly given the direction his thoughts about Draco often seemed to go lately. He had fought it at first, worried what others would think; reminding himself that this was his former rival. But the more time he spent with Draco, the more connected they felt and the less he was able to deny his attraction to her; least of all, to himself.

“Come on you,” he told her, “let’s get back inside, or at least out of this sunlight. We can just go relax in the Gryffindor common room or something.”

Draco had expected Harry to help her back to her feet, given his recent gentlemanly behaviour, but when he swept her up into his arms she couldn’t help the rather embarrassing squeak that escaped her. She told herself that it was only an instinctive fear on him dropping her that made her link her arms around his neck, as she gave him a questioning look.

“Well I don’t want you passing out on me again,” Harry told her; chuckling at the slightly indignant look she gave him.

“I think I can manage a few flights of stairs,” she said,; though Harry was pretty sure that Draco sounded equally amused and he noticed that she wasn’t fighting particularly hard to be put down.

“Well if you are sure you manage,” Harry said teasingly as they reached the castle.

“I am sure,” Draco said.

Harry helped her stand again; taking extra care to make sure she was stable on her feet before he reluctantly let go. They stood in a slightly awkward momentary silence, not really sure what to say, before Harry headed towards the Gryffindor common room.

“Harry...” Draco said, sounding hesitant and Harry turned, to see that Draco had stopped a few feet from the bottom of the stairs.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am,” Draco told him; reaching out and squeezing his hand, not wanting Harry to worry. “I just think I want to have a little time to myself, maybe have a bit of a nap.”

Harry gave her a small smile, “Of course, I will see you at dinner... right?”

Draco nodded and returned, what she hoped was, a reassuring smile. She was aware of Harry’s eyes on her, as she headed off in the other direction, towards her private room. She was honestly enjoying the attention Harry was giving her, but that was exactly why she needed the time to think.

-#-

Draco practically threw herself backwards onto her bed when she got back to her room, cursing Harry Potter and his Gryffindor niceties. How had things changed so fast? Harry seemed to be becoming increasingly comfortable being affectionate with her and she was all too aware that this could easily get out of hand, particularly now that they had the castle to themselves.

She grabbed the pillow next to her and pulled it over her face, letting out a frustrated scream. This was so not what she thought her life would be just a few months earlier. She still felt that falling for Harry was a bad idea, but for the life of her she couldn’t actually think of any reasons for thinking that way anymore.

Memories of how he had held her flooded her mind and caused a blush to tint her pale features. Oh, how her former family and friends would mock her if they knew that she had even allowed him to; let alone that she had enjoyed it. She couldn’t deny any more that it had felt safe; she actually trusted him. Draco believed that Harry would no longer bring her, or wish upon her, any harm, but was that a good enough reason to allow things between them to continue to develop? She wasn’t sure.

She moved the pillow back under her head and stared at the ceiling, as though waiting for the answers to appear there. Images of green eyes and cheeky grins made butterflies flutter in her stomach and warmth spread through her. She felt her heart beating slightly faster and, biting her lip, she let her hands move under the loose top she was wearing, gently touching her breast; almost drawing blood as she bit down harder with the shock of how sensitive her nipples had become.

Draco let her hand explore her own chest truly for the first time since the accident; she had been able to largely ignore the more physical changes but with the effect that Harry was having on her she felt hyper-aware of her own body.

She was surprised how soft and smooth her skin felt on her slight female frame. Her other hand moved over her waist, which was curved but slender. Draco was no expert on the female form, given his general lack of attraction to it, but he had looked closely enough over the years to be sure that he was now a petite but beautiful girl. Smugly he thought he could understand Harry’s attraction to her.

Feeling daring, Draco slid her fingers under the waist band of her shorts; she closed her eyes as she trailed them over the area where her manhood had once been. She was sure that had it still been there, it would have been hard and aching already; and the simmering ache of want was surprisingly familiar. She permitted a single small tear fall, for everything she had lost, but the heat between her legs and the images of Harry in her mind didn’t allow her to grieve for long.

Slipping her middle finger into herself, she realised how wet she already was; she found herself unable to hold back the groan that snuck past her lips as the palm of her hand slid over something that felt so good. Draco was still more than a little unsure of herself, as she gently moved her hand a few times and pushed a second finger inside.

It felt so good and she bit gently at her bottom lip, the sharp dash of pain only adding to the heady sensations of lust that were ebbing and flowing through her. She picked up the pace; her thumb and palm working in conjunction to send small tingles to all her nerve endings. Her breathing was becoming heavier and when she quickly came, with Harry’s name whispered into the air, the intensity of her orgasm surprised her.

She had thought it would be more... different; but the heady buzz and sweaty stickiness of the aftermath were familiar. As was the embarrassed she felt at what she had just done; though even more so, given that she had done it whilst picturing Harry. She just lay on the bed letting her breathing and heart rate return to normal, doing her best to reassure herself that she had done nothing wrong..

“Well, that was... interesting,” she said to no-one.

There really was no denying what she wanted any more but she sure as hell wasn’t about to let Harry have _ALL_ the control, if this was where things were going. Draco was going to have to find some of that courage that those Gryffindors were always going on about.

-#-

At dinner the professors were sat about half way down one of the tables talking and Harry was just taking a seat next to Hagrid when Draco made her way into the Great Hall.  She couldn’t help but blush a little as she took a seat next to Harry; hoping it wasn’t too noticeable.

“Feeling better?” Harry asked quietly, while Hagrid was busy offering Professor Flitwick a dish of boiled potatoes.

Draco nodded. “Yeah, thanks,” she said, giving Harry a genuine smile before piling a selection of foods onto her plate.

They mostly listened to the teachers talking, feeling slightly awkward about being the only students there. Professor Sprout was talking about the new plants she would start potting so that they would be ready for the next term; Flitwick was apparently heading off travelling the following week to meet a charms professor in Asia somewhere, who had some new ideas to do with speed at which spells could be cast; and Professor McGonagall was planning on enjoying some time travelling around Europe.

It was a little strange to hear that these adults actually had lives outside of teaching and Hogwarts but it was sort of pleasantly enlightening, in a way. Not to mention that they were just glad to not be asked to contribute to the conversations at all.

After they had both had some treacle pudding, the two teens asked to be excused and left the adults to their discussions and summer plans. Draco mentally readied herself as they made their way out of the Great Hall; she had decided what she was going to do, but actually taking action would be easier said than done. They had just turned the corner, out of sight of the teachers, when Draco, who was half a step behind Harry, slid her hand into his.

Draco looked up and met his eyes just in time to see when they went wide with surprise. She held back her amusement and smiled benignly; it was exactly the reaction she had been hoping for.

“Are you okay, Harry?” she asked as innocently as possible.

Her expression was open and kind; and she managed to appear mildly confused as to why he had suddenly stopped walking, and why he was now staring at her.

“Err... Yeah, of course...” he said, stumbling over his words.

Harry actually shook his head a little, to restore brain function, before they could start walking again; he had vaguely known the direction that his relationship with Draco had been heading in, but he hadn’t truly expected the Slytherin to be so... proactive. It was a pleasant surprise. He wasn’t going to complain about it, but it had definitely caught him a little off guard.

Draco couldn’t help but look smug, apparently she had a little bit of that Gryffindor courage after all; or maybe it was just that as a true Slytherin she did what it took to get exactly what she wanted. Whatever it was, she had taken back some of the power in the whole situation and was feeling much more like herself.

“So, you were going to show me this common room of yours?” Draco prompted.

“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” Harry agreed, “this way.” He led them up a stairway to their right, apparently quite happy to continue holding Draco’s hand.

“Maybe we can have a ‘You show me yours, I’ll show you mine kind of deal,’” Draco said with a smirk; knowing what Harry would hear in those words.

He didn’t let her down; opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Draco had to use all her will power not to burst out laughing at the shocked expression on his face; feeling more Slytherin than she had in months.

“...What...?” he finally managed to gasp out.

“You show me your common room tonight and maybe I will take you to see the Slytherin one tomorrow,” she said using the same innocent tone as she had before. “Are you really sure you are okay, Harry? You look a little shaken.”

“Yeah.... yeah, just fine Draco.”

-#-

Draco was true to her word. The next day she took Harry down into the dungeons and showed him the Slytherin common room; at which point the Gryffindor had confessed about having seen it in his second year, whilst under the guise of being Goyle. Draco had been slightly stunned and confused by this, but couldn’t find it in herself to be annoyed; she was simply too impressed and amused.

Over the next couple of weeks the two of them spent most of their time either in the Gryffindor common room or else out on the castle’s extensive grounds; often going flying before dinner. Draco had always managed to remain on her broom since the first time, partly at least because they always remembered to take flasks of water with them.

It had quickly become normal for them to take each other’s hand when walking somewhere and in the evenings when tired Draco would often curl up against Harry’s side. She had even fallen asleep that way on two separate occasions; though Draco always returned to her own room by the time Harry awoke.

They only ate their dinners in the Great Hall, choosing to have breakfasts in the kitchen and collect lunches, that the house elves would happily pack them each day, to eat elsewhere.

It was late one evening and they were sitting on a sofa in the Gryffindor common room. Draco’s head against Harry’s shoulder, her legs tucked up onto the seat, his arm around her holding them together.

“Harry?”

“Oh, I was starting to think you had fallen asleep,” Harry said, with a small chuckle; not taking his eyes way from the small flames in the fireplace.

“You like me right?” Draco asked and there was no mistaking the nervousness in her voice.

“What? Yes, of course I do. I thought I had made that fairly obvious by now,” Harry told her; he was glad that Draco was still leaning against his shoulder and unable to see the blush that crept across his cheeks.

“Good... then... will you kiss me?” Draco asked looking up at the boy who was holding her.

Harry didn’t speak but found he was moved by the open and trusting request; the pure honesty and simplicity of the moment between them. He placed a hand gently under her chin, making sure to look into her eyes as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

“With pleasure, any time, Draco,” he told her, when he pulled away a moment later.

They were both grinning happily as the blonde girl curled back up in his arms and fell asleep.

 


	4. Finding A Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the re-written (and hopefully improved) version of chapter 4  
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek, who has helped iron my small idiocies out of this chapter.

_ Previously: _

_“Good... then... will you kiss me?” Draco asked looking up at the boy who was holding her._

_Harry didn’t speak but found he was moved by the open and trusting request; the pure honesty and simplicity of the moment between them. He placed a hand gently under her chin, making sure to look into her eyes as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips._

_“With pleasure, any time, Draco,” he told her, when he pulled away a moment later._

_They were both grinning happily as the blonde girl curled back up in his arms and fell asleep._

-#-

“You’re still here,” Harry whispered into her ear in the morning. “I 'm glad; though my back is going to hurt like mad later, I am sure,” he added as he wriggled slightly.

Draco chuckled against his chest, where her head was resting. “Well I was hoping for a good morning kiss, but apparently that was wishful thinking,” she teased.

Harry laughed; not a little chuckle or a giggle but a full out laugh. “Let’s see if we can’t fix that for you," he told her.

His arms were already around her and so it was with great ease that he suddenly pulled Draco onto his lap, making her yelp with surprise and then silencing her as he pressed his lips to hers. The night before he had been too tired to really enjoy kissing her, but he intended to make up for that now.

Her lips were soft and, once Draco had recovered from the shock, she was kissing him back; she parted her lips slightly and let her tongue lightly brush his bottom lip. He was unable to hold back the sigh of contentment he let out as he  threaded his fingers into her hair at the back of her head; his free arm curled around her waist, holding her against him. He pushed his tongue forward, wanting to taste the beautiful girl he was kissing; it was a little strange knowing that girl was Draco, but it was more than worth the slight weirdness of that.

She parted her lips willingly, allowing him to take control. Draco had never willingly surrendered her control to anyone before, but in that moment, in the safety and love of Harry’s arms, to let him have power over her felt like the most natural thing in the world. He had far too many Gryffindor  niceties in his personality to misuse her trust and, for Draco, it was so wonderful to not have to worry about anything, even if it was just for a few short moments.

“Wow,” Harry said somewhat stupidly when they broke apart and Draco curled against his chest again, this time whilst still sitting on his lap.

“Yeah,” Draco said and she happened to agree with the Gryffindor’s sentiment completely.

“Draco?” Harry asked after a few minutes and when Draco made a noise that indicated she had heard he continued. “What does this make us now? I mean...”

“If you even dare suggest we are not together now, Harry, I will not hesitate to castrate you,” Draco told him without moving from her comfortable spot curled up on his lap and her tone was serious enough to make him momentarily wonder if she would actually carry through on that threat.

“So you’re my girlfriend then, Draco?” Harry asked, merely wanted to test out the word on his tongue, it was not a term he had been able to use before. “I wasn’t taking the piss out of you being a girl," he quickly added when he got a glare from the Slytherin. " I like you being a girl, I just wanted to know what it sounded like to say... Please don’t castrate me...” he trailed off with a slightly  pitiful look on his face that made her just want to tease him more.

“And why would I want to do such a thing to my boyfriend?" she asked looking up at him with an innocent expression, "I would quite like you to remain intact.” Draco smirked at the sight of Harry’s blush from the implications of her words.

A sudden and entirely unexpected popping sound broke the moment, making them both jump and immediately turning both of the teenager’s attentions to the spot where Dobby had just appeared.

“Harry Potter Sir," the elf said with a deep bow. "The Headmaster is be asking for you to be having breakfast in the Great Hall today. He is  be having a surprise for you.”

Draco frowned; the house elf looked strangely familiar. She turned to her new boyfriend with an eyebrow raised in question, but Harry just shrugged to indicate that he had no idea what was going on either.

“Thanks, Dobby," Harry told the elf. "Could you tell Professor Dumbledore that we will be there?”

“Of course, Sir,” the elf said with another bow, and with that Dobby vanished with another small pop.

“Was that.. Dobby?" Draco asked as they got to their feet. "Didn’t he used to be one of my... one of the Malfoy elves?”

“Yeah," Harry said with a nervous chuckle as he ran his hand through his hair, "he was. It's kind of a  long story, maybe I can tell you it later?" he asked.

"Hmm," Draco said stroking her chin in mock thought, "I suppose that would be acceptable," she agreed with a smile after a few seconds.

"Okay, great," Harry said, "Erm... I am going to get changed, meet you at the bottom of the staircase in... fifteen minutes?” he asked feeling suddenly a bit awkward.

“Okay, I will see you there,” Draco agreed heading for the door but she stopped after only a few steps. She bit her lip as she paused to think and then, after a few moments, she turned around and went back to give Harry a chaste kiss. "Bottom of the Grand Staircase. Fifteen minutes," she repeated back to him, kissing him once more before hurrying of  to her room, leaving a smiling but still slightly stunned Harry in the common room alone.

-#-

“You look beautiful,” Harry whispered in her ear as he crept up behind her at the bottom of the stairs. Apparently he had managed to approach more quietly than he had thought because she jumped in surprise, clutching her hand against her rapidly beating heart.

Harry laughed lightly as she turned quickly to glare at him, swotting him on the arm, "Prat!" she said with mock grumpiness.

“Breakfast?” he asked, stepping on the staircase to stand next to her.

“Sure," Draco agreed, still glaring at him a little, "we have to go find out what the Headmaster has done now,” she said, but there was no malice in her words.

Harry rolled his eyes in amusement, “come on then,” he told her, as he took her hand automatically. He dropped it again quickly, noticing how nervous Draco looked. “Oh... You don’t want them to know about us?” he asked, unable to hide his disappointment.

“Well...” she said hesitantly, she hadn't really intended to hide their relationship; it was just that she hadn't really even had time to process that they had a relationship for others to know about. Honestly she was still adjusting to being female and it seemed to have all just kind of happened without her feeling like she had had time to think. She didn't regret giving Harry a chance, though; and it was that, combined with the hurt look on Harry’s face,  that helped Draco make up her mind.

“I am just a little nervous okay?” Draco told him as she took Harry’s hand again.

Harry frowned slightly; he wanted to see if they could have a relationship; he wanted Draco but he also wanted her to want it too. “Are you sure?” he asked her, stubbornly meeting her eyes with determination. He was already starting to pull away when she smiled at him and nodded, he waited long enough for her to change her mind but when she just continued to smile at him, he led them into the Great Hall together, hand in hand.

Though at the sight in front of him he dropped his grip on her again.

“SIRIUS!” Harry cried out with excitement and confusion, before he literally ran half the way along the hall to hug his Godfather; leaving a very confused Draco to slowly making her way over to the table where they would be eating.

“Harry, my boy, you look well,” Sirius told him, holding him by the shoulders so he could get a good look at him.

“Oh...right...” Harry said, suddenly remembering. He turned around and waved Draco to come over. “Draco, this is my godfather, Sirius Black,” he told her. “He is innocent, I promise,” he explained, as he took her hand when he realised how much Draco had paled at being the presence of an accused murderer.

“Draco? As in, Draco Malfoy?” Sirius asked, but he quickly fell silent at the almost growling sound that came from Harry and the look of something between horror and sadness on Draco’s face.

“No, it’s just Draco,” Harry told him sternly, “and she is worth ten of any Malfoy,” he added, taking Draco’s hand and smiling at her. “So why are you here Sirius?" he asked, turning back to his godfather with a look of concern, "I mean it is great to see you, but is it safe?”

“THAT is why I am here, Harry, Dumbledore got all charges cleared; I am a free man!” Sirius told him with a grin that reached from ear to ear.

"That's amazing," Harry said, grinning just as widely and giving Sirius a quick and slightly awkward one armed hug.

 “I am going to need a few weeks to get my house fixed," Sirius told him, "up but then you can come live with me. We can be the family we should have been all those years ago. If you want to, of course,” he added looking suddenly unsure, as though convinced that Harry could never actually want to live with someone like him.

“That would be great... but...” Harry tightened his grip on Draco’s hand. “I won’t leave Draco here by herself; can she come live with us too?”

“Oh!" Draco said in surprise and sudden alarm, "no... Harry, it’s okay..." she said, after all they had only become a couple that morning and, while she knew that wasn't his motivation, the idea of finding herself living with her new boyfriend and his godfather, who just happened to be a cousin and an accused murderer, was a little intimidating. Not to mention Harry obviously considered this man family and Draco knew better than most what it was like to have no-one, she couldn't let herself come in the way of that. "You honestly don’t have to..." she tried to insist, "I know you will want to go be a family.”

Draco was stumbling over her words, feeling conflicted and surprised that as she spoke she realised that her heart was breaking a little and that she didn’t want to be left alone again. She had grown more than accustomed to having the Gryffindor in her life but she wouldn’t deny Harry his family, or impose; that would just risk destroying their relationship before it even started.

“Don’t be silly Draco," Harry told her, looking at her as though she was mad, "I meant it, either we both go, or we both stay, we stick together now. Okay?  I can't leave you here by yourself.”

Harry smiled the whole time he spoke and Draco realised that Harry was completely serious, genuine in his intention to keep them together. It seemed so strange to her that he would value her as highly now; as highly as he valued being a family with Sirius; admittedly it was a comforting notion though.

Sirius placed a hand onto Harry’s shoulder. If he had to accept this cousin of his into his home in order to finally be a family with Harry then he would agree; from the sound of things Draco wasn't having a good time of things either at the moment and perhaps she needed a new family as much as he and Harry did.

“Of course she can come with us; the house is plenty big enough. Provided Dumbledore agrees, of course," he added quickly with a glance at the headmaster, who smiled and nodded. "I take it you two are...?” Sirius asked, indicating their hands where they were still holding tightly onto each other.

“Oh," Harry said with a laugh, running his free hand through his hair, "yeah, we’re together,” he confirmed, making Draco’s heart skip a little bit; it was one thing for Harry to say it in private but quite another to repeat it to a room full of people; it somehow made it even more real.

“Well in that case, congratulations. But I should make it clear, Draco can come and stay with us, HOWEVER...” Sirius said with completely and uncharacteristic seriousness, looking Harry in the eye, “... you will be staying on opposite sides of the house, and no funny business. From either of you,” he added as he turned to face Draco.

The two teens felt matching blushes creep up their faces at the implication; they had only been together a few hours and having adults discussing their completely non-existent sex lives was not something they had come to breakfast expecting but they both managed to nod their understanding.

“Okay, well now we have that settled... breakfast?” Sirius asked, indicated the table.

Nodding  enthusiastically as Harry stomach let out a loud rumble of agreement, they all took seats and start to help themselves to the food. Draco felt grateful that the majority of the Professors had at least pretended not to be listening to the conversation that had taken place right in front of them, but didn’t miss the smirk that Professor Snape gave her as he reached for a piece of toast.

-#-

As it would take a little time before Sirius would consider his home a hospitable place to take his two new wards, they made plans for him to come and fetch them the weekend after next. They were both excited to be somewhere other than the school for once but admitted a little nervous about what it would be like. They passed the time much as they had the previous weeks but only now with kisses thrown into the mix whenever they could manage.

There had been a very awkward moment walking back, after having been flying, one evening. Harry had pulled Draco into a very loving goodnight kiss, only for Snape to have walked around the corner and seen them. At the sound of his deliberate cough, they had jumped apart, red faced with embarrassment, and had been told, in no uncertain terms, that it was not appropriate behaviour for the school corridors, even during the holidays.

The ten days passed quickly, much more so than they had expected, and before they knew it they were standing in the Entrance Hall with their trunks at their sides, eagerly awaiting Sirius' arrival. Draco was leaning back against Harry’s chest, with his arms linked around her front holding her against him; he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head and released her as they saw Sirius approaching with Dumbledore.

“You two ready to go?” Sirius asked happily, and, if the expression on his face was anything to go by, he was as excited to have a family again as they were. They both nodded eagerly.

“Thank you, for letting us stay here,” Draco thanked Dumbledore quietly.

“It has actually been delightful to have the castle not quite so empty as it usually is, you will both be missed," the Headmaster said, smiling as he peered over the top of his half moon spectacles. "Until you return in September, of course,” Dumbledore added, chuckled to himself as he wandered away “Travel safe and good luck, Sirius," the Headmaster said quietly, mostly to himself.

The two teens were grinning as they Sirius told them he would be apparating them all to London, they were going to be staying at the Black family house, the same one that he had grown up in.

-#-

They soon found themselves in the hallway of a huge terraced house, that was apparently in London; but they would have to take Sirius’ word on that. As secret keeper, Sirius had let them in on the fidelius charm and they had watch in awe as twelve Grimmauld Place appeared to push its way out from between numbers eleven and thirteen. The house had clearly once been grand but it now had the feel of a place gone to ruin and then cleaned up in a hurry; which they supposed was probably the case.

There was a pair of heavy, dark curtains, behind which they had been told a large portrait hung; a portrait they were instructed not to disturb without a very good reason. The front room and kitchen were clean and, though full of dark heavy furniture, didn’t seem so bad with the daylight pelting through the large windows and the light coloured paint that had been haphazardly thrown onto the walls, probably using a spell. The house was huge, Harry realised, as he peered up the stairway.

"I know it is a bit of a mess," Sirius told them, "but trust me when I say it is a lot better than it was two weeks ago."

He showed them to their rooms. They had one each, just as Sirius had told them they would; Harry’s was on the second floor and Draco’s on the third. Both had been filled with new furniture and a fresh coat of paint, each delighted to see their house colours clearly on display.

"Thank you," Harry told his godfather, pulling him into a tight hug. It was the first time he had ever really had a room that was his own. He had had a room at the Dursley's, but it had always been made clear that it wasn't given willingly. Sirius had obviously taken great care to give him this room and that alone was enough to make him feel quite emotional about the whole thing.

Draco had seemed grateful for her room too and Harry delighted that the blonde was being so obviously accepted. Sirius had been rewarded with multiple hugs from each of the teens and, despite himself, he was already starting to like the former Malfoy.

The two of them spent most of their first day unpacking. It was the first time Harry had somewhere which he could really make his own and it was a strange feeling unpacking his few belongings and knowing they would remain safe here.

Draco had gotten quite upset when it really hit home that all her things, which she had left at Malfoy Manor when she left to go to school, were likely lost to her forever. She suspected that the first thing her father would have done after disowning her, would be destroying all trace of her life at their family home. She wasn't sure she even knew what was worse; the idea that her room was still as it was, waiting for her to return one day, or that those things might be gone forever.

Not for the first time, Draco’s thoughts wandered back over the last months; the harsh words from Lucius and the silence from Narcissa. She couldn't help but wonder just how much resistance her mother had put up, before Draco reminded herself it really didn’t make any slightest difference anymore, which was somehow the thought that broke her.

She rested her head in her hands and cried, heavy tears rolling down her pale skin and slender features. Her first instinct was to pull away, to hide, when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, but it was insistent and Draco gave in; resting her head on Harry's chest  as she took what comfort was offered. He let Draco wrap her arms around his waist as she cried out her frustrations and then just let them cuddle in a heavy silence.

“Hey, you two," Sirius said sternly as his head poked around the door, "I thought I made the rules very clear. I have no problem with cuddling, but it will not be done hidden away in bedrooms. Okay?” He didn’t sound angry, and they were glad he had given Draco time to cry privately before interrupting, but it was also clear that he was not about to be negotiated with on this.

“Yeah, okay,” Harry agreed, getting both him and his now calm girlfriend to their feet.

"Sorry," Draco apologised quietly.

"How about some dinner?" Sirius suggested trying to cheer them up and not really sure how to deal with the sombre mood and the two of them nodded in agreement.

-#-

It was surprising how used to being able to cuddle and kiss in private they had become, over the weeks of the holiday they had spent at Hogwarts, both having taken being able to show affection to the other for granted. They enjoyed their new home with the family meals and days out, playing games together or just reading in the small library, but they were both feeling on edge from not being able to be as tactile with each other, as much as they wanted to be.

They cared a great deal for their guardian, and were very grateful for their new home, but Sirius seemed to have developed an extremely annoying sixth sense about them and would come wandering in the room as soon as they did more than hold hands or share a short chaste kiss.

“Damn it Sirius, can’t we have five minutes alone?” Harry growled out, when they were walked in on a few days before they were to return to Hogwarts.

Sirius' eyes narrowed dangerously in warning and Draco hit him on the arm, which promoted a quick apology, complete with a guilty expression.

“No, Harry," his godfather said sternly, "I will not be giving you five minutes alone. I was also once a fifteen year old boy,” Sirius said, his expression lightening as he chuckled at those memories. “And yes, you are forgiven; just don’t ever yell at me like that again.” To which Harry nodded his understanding; Draco had the good sense to just keep quiet.

“Can we go for a walk outside?" Draco asked timidly; she still felt unsure of herself, as though she didn't belong and was unwilling to risk giving either of them a reason to ask her to leave. "I promise that it will just be a walk."

Sirius chuckled again, at Draco’s nervousness, he wished he could help make her feel more at ease in his home, but he hoped that would simply happen with time. He knew he wasn't an expert of parenting but he would do what he could to protect them both and hoped that they could all sort of figure it out with time; all things considered he thought they were doing remarkably well. Deciding that it would probably do Harry and Draco some good to have some time out alone, but in an environment where they would be unable to do anything too inappropriate, he nodded and watched with a smile as the two of them hurriedly headed towards the door.

-#-

“I know he means well...” Harry told his girlfriend. He still seemed to be feeling tense and Draco was glad she had suggested the walk; she would let him rant for a few minutes, knowing he would feel better afterwards. “It’s just that, well... I don't know. I guess I just don’t cope well not being able to show you how much I love you, it is driving me crazy. I love Sirius, of course I do, but sometimes....”

Harry felt a tug on his hand and turned, only to realise that Draco had stopped walking and was now staring at him in surprise.

“You love me?” Draco asked.

“What? ...” Harry said, his eyes going slightly wide. He was replaying over his words in his head, slightly panicking. Had he really said that? He had been pretty sure for a short while that he did, but to tell Draco... surely it was too soon for that. Apparently he had said it now though, he realised and the idea of taking it back or denying it was unthinkable. “Yeah, I believe I do. I love you," he told her. "Is that okay with you?” he asked quickly

Draco laughed and shook her head slightly in disbelief; trust Harry Potter to ask someone if it was okay to love them. “Yes, of course it is okay, you stupid prick," she said, giving him a gentle shove. "I... I love you too.”

Harry broke into a smile and pulled the blonde into his arms, her arms looping up around his neck. Leaning down he pressed their lips together for the best kiss they had had since coming to live in London.

Standing in the window of Grimmauld Place, Sirius rolled his eyes; he had only looked out the window to check which way they were going, and had happened to see the young couple's private moment, barely a few feet from the house. He decided he was going to have to trust them and headed towards the kitchen, muttering something about ‘teenagers’,  to make a start on dinner.

-#-

"Harry, can I speak with you for a moment, before Draco wakes up," Sirius asked his godson one morning.

"Err... Sure," the teenager agreed, taking a seat opposite his guardian slightly apprehensively. He poured himself a large glass of orange juice from the jug in the middle of the table, mostly to avoid looking at Sirius.

Sirius chuckled, "You don't need to look so nervous, Harry," he told him, "I just wanted to run something past you and don't want Draco to know yet; just in case it doesn't pan out."

That had the younger man's curiosities piqued and Harry leaned slightly over the table to listen intently to whatever scheme it was Sirius was cooking up.

"I am looking into getting Draco the Black name," Sirius told him in a hushed voice, with a glance at the ceiling, as though to check that Draco was still asleep floors above them. "I mean, I know how she hates not having a name at all and, well, she is biologically a descendant of the Black family." Sirius sounded nervous about the idea but his godson was grinning.

"That's brilliant, you can really do that?" Harry questioned, and he was glad that Sirius wasn't going to get Draco's hopes up until he was sure.

Sirius nodded. "I believe so," he told him, " it isn't exactly completely straight forward, but...."

"What's not straight forward?" Draco asked, smothering a yawn as she came into the room.

"Just some crazy idea I had," Sirius told her quickly; too quickly apparently, as she raised her eyebrow at the guilty looking pair of them.

"Yes, I am sure," she told them sarcastically.

"There are eggs already cooked in the kitchen," Harry informed her with a soft smile, "I bet Sirius will cast a warming charm for you, if you would like."

Draco watched them suspiciously for a few moments longer but decided, when her stomach rumbled, that she would find out eventually one way or another and that breakfast was the current priority.

As the petite blonde disappeared out the door in search of food, the other two shared an amused look which said that they would finish talking about it later.

-#-

“Harry!” Hermione called from a little way along platform nine and three quarters, where she and Ron were approaching ,their trunks dragging along behind them.

There had been several discussions about visiting the burrow, but Draco had been convinced that she wouldn’t exactly be welcome, and so, given that there wasn't much left of the summer anyway, they decided not to. Draco had initially protested, saying that her not wanting to shouldn't stop Harry from seeing his friends, but he persuaded her that he wanted to enjoy the time they had, with her,  before they would have to return to the castle.

Harry turned from the conversation he had been having with Sirius to smile at his approaching best friends. Draco was holding his hand, more out of habit now rather than anything else, and so turned with her boyfriend, feeling apprehensive about how Harry's friends would react to their relationship; Harry had thought it would be best to explain in person. She had almost managed to forget that this inevitable moment had been coming; now she was faced with it, she couldn't deny the anxiety she felt.

Ron and Hermione seemed to notice that things between Harry and Draco had changed at about the same time, but their reactions were pretty much polar opposites. Hermione was looking profoundly smug, as if she had seen this coming a mile off, while Ron had stopped dead, chin seemingly trying to hit the floor and his eyes wide in shock.

“Oh!” Harry exclaimed, suddenly realising what his friends were reacting to. He ran his free hand through his hair and glanced nervously at where he and Draco were still holding hands, before shrugging.

Hermione shook her head at Harry's ridiculousness and stepped forward to pull a rather alarmed, and surprised, Draco into a hug. “I am happy for you two," Hermione whispered, "he always had a thing about you, even if he didn’t know it until you were a beautiful girl.”

Draco stiffened and became slightly flushed, that had not been the reaction she had expected but also made a mental note to ask Hermione, and perhaps Harry, what she meant later. Ron, however, was behaving much more like she had expected and still hadn’t moved. It wasn’t until the other Weasleys came to ask him if he was okay that he seemed to remember he had to breathe.

“You okay, Ron?” Ginny asked hesitantly, slightly worried by her brother's odd behaviour.

Ron ignored her however and finally managed to walk the last ten feet to stand in front of Harry and Draco.

“Are you two... you know... together?” he asked, with a nervous chuckle as though proposing a ridiculous suggestion that they were going to find highly amusing.

“What?!" Ginny, who had followed Ron and Hermione over, exclaimed. She was looking at Ron like he had lost his mind, then turned to Hermione who was smiling happily and finally to Harry and Draco, taking in their joined hands and nervous expressions. As she looked at each of them, her own expression became increasingly twisted. "Wait _ARE_ you two together?!” Ginny asked incredulously.

“Did Harry get himself a girlfriend...?” Fred asked in a teasing tone, as he and George arrived just a few seconds behind Ginny. They froze in surprise at the sight of him hand in hand with the blonde girl they knew perfectly well to be Draco.

“Yes me and Draco are together... anyone got a problem with that?” Harry asked, the unsaid threat obvious to all.

“Problem, not at all Harry, little brother, proud of you," George said, throwing an arm around Harry's shoulder.  "Draco’s pretty much perfect for you, not to mention she really is very pretty.” he added with a wink in Draco’s direction. Draco was starting to wonder if she was going to have to come to terms with feeling permanently embarrassed, but she appreciated the compliment none-the-less.

“Yeah, well if you are happy...” Ron said hesitantly, with a shrug. The other Weasleys were all smiling and nodding in their agreement; all except Ginny, who was still frowning at Draco; not that Harry had noticed this, he was far too relieved with the others’ acceptance.

“Thanks guys," Harry said. "But I really think we need to get on the train before it leaves without us,” he pointed out, indicating the clock which showed it was two minutes to the hour.

Suddenly the group was a mass of panicking as they all rushed to get on board. Molly and Arthur hurried over, giving Harry and Draco their own congratulations and thankfully, with Sirius' and their help the whole group of students managed to get themselves and their trunks onto the train with at least one or two seconds to spare. They waved at Molly, Arthur and Sirius from the windows of their compartment when the train pulled out of the station.

“It is weird going back, when we only left three weeks ago,” Harry said as he pulled Draco, who was nodding her agreement, down on his lap.

Ron seemed a little uncomfortable with Harry and Draco's obvious affection but he had already decided he wasn't going to make trouble for them. Harry was still his best friend, and if Draco was really what he wanted... Well he thought Harry was crazy, but Draco definitely wasn't worth ruining their friendship over. “So, how was it living with Sirius?” Ron asked, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

“It was good... mostly.” Harry crinkled his brow and Draco laughed.

“It _WAS_ good," Draco insisted. "Harry is just upset because his godfather wouldn’t leave us alone,” she explained with a roll of her eyes.

That made Hermione actually giggle and in turn Draco was unable to stop herself.

“Did you just giggle, Draco?” Ron asked with raised eyebrows, voicing the opinions of all the carriage’s occupants.

Draco stopped immediately and glared at him, which may not have been the wisest of moves, as everyone else promptly started laughing, at which Draco proceeded to sulk.


	5. Young Love

_ Previously: _

_Hermione and Draco were both giggling._

_“Did you just giggle Draco?” Fred asked with raised eyebrows, voicing the opinions of all the carriage’s occupants._

_Draco stopped immediately and glared at the twin; and then promptly everyone else when they all started laughing._

-#-

Draco found that it was much easier to talk with the Gryffindors now that Harry had made her feel like herself again, she laughed to herself at the thought that is was becoming a girlfriend that had made her feel whole again, though maybe it was half that, half finding a boyfriend. Either way the conversation on the train ride and at the Gryffindor table was easier than she ever remembered it being before.

She barely cared when people gasped, or pointed, or gossiped when they noticed how Harry and her were together. She had pointed them out to Harry at one point with a smirk on her face and he had told her to ‘let them be jealous’, before kissing her on the temple, causing even more mutterings.

They watched the first years get sorted and listened as Dumbledore introduced the rather old and confused looking woman as the new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, someone called Professor Dirum. None of them had ever heard of her but the way she looked blearily around at the lot of them was not encouraging. Draco was surprised how tired she felt, she supposed it was getting late now and was glad to have Harry to lean against. 

She was practically asleep by the time they were dismissed. Harry without even thinking automatically picked her up and Draco instinctively put her arms around his neck, legs around his waist and head on his shoulder.

“Apparently we are cute.” Harry whispered to her, making Draco laughed quietly. “Okay so maybe YOU are a little bit cute.”

“Am not.” Draco mumbled into his ear making Harry and Ron, who was apparently in hearing range, laugh again.

“Don’t wait for me guys; I am going to take Draco back to her room.” Harry told the rest of the Gryffindors before they headed out of the hall.

Apparently Harry hadn’t been kidding with the people thinking they were cute thing given the girls that Draco was able to overhear on their way out of the great hall. She also suspected that she fell asleep a little, given that the next thing she knew was Harry giving the password to her room and them going inside.

“You awake enough to get ready for bed, Love.” Harry asked and took the noise Draco made as a ‘probably’. “Okay then, I will find you some pyjamas.”

Harry lay Draco down on the bed and went to find a pair of pyjamas from her trunk and handed them over, turning his back to give her a little bit of privacy.

“You can turn around.” Draco told him a few minutes later.

Harry did so and smiled affectionately at the small girl curled up in the blankets on the bed. She looked irresistibly cute at that moment, not that Harry was stupid enough to tell Draco that.

“Night night, Love.” Harry kissed her lips then her temple, “See you at breakfast?”

Draco smiled back at him in her half-asleep state. “Stay.”

Harry wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly, but was really hoping he had. “You want me to stay here? With you? Are you sure?”

Draco nodded. “Yeah I am sure, I have missed having you close to me too you know. Now will you get into bed already?”

Harry didn’t need to be told again, he stripped down to his boxers, given he had nothing else with him to sleep in and crawled into the other side of the bed. Sliding towards the middle and wrapping an arm around Draco’s waist, he pulled her small body against his chest.

“I love you,” he whispered into her ear, placing another kiss on the top of her blonde hair.

“I love you too.” Was the very sleepy response.

-#-

Draco awoke in a comfortable bed in her now familiar room at Hogwarts, but the less familiar feeling was the warmth that was wrapped around her. She smiled when she remembered that she was waking up in Harry’s arms.

She snuggled back against him but stopped when she realised her still asleep boyfriend was very aroused at that moment. She smirked slightly as she shuffled against him a little again and the quiet groan he made her Slytherin nature chuckle with amusement.

“Draco, you really need to stop doing that.” Harry mumbled.

“Do I really Harry?” Draco chuckled and repeated the motion, also running her foot along his legs and gently stroking his arms around her waist.

Harry groaned again and his breath felt warm on the back of her neck, Draco was enjoying the power she had in that moment, she could literally feel how much her boyfriend wanted her just then. It was apparently too much for Harry though, as he swiftly moved so that Draco was on her back, with him leaning over her.

 “Do you know what you do to me?” He asked her, but the smirk on her face told him that she knew exactly what she was doing. 

He kissed her passionately and pressed his hard body against her gently, pulling a moan not so different from the noises she had made him make.  He smiled against her lips and deepened the kiss, supporting himself on his knees and one hand, so as not to crush her beneath him; he slid his other hand under her top to grip her waist gently.

Her skin was as soft as it was beautiful and his fingers trailed gently upwards till he felt her breast. Draco didn’t push him away but rather let out another moan and arched into him, as if she wanted more contact,

Breaking their kiss she breathed the words, “Harry, please.”

Draco realised she was actually begging, so much for the power, yet she still didn’t care, she just wanted more. Harry sat Draco up slightly, whilst still kneeling over her and between them they got her free of her pyjama top; she loved that way he was looking at her, letting her know he loved what he saw. He kissed her neck and then down to her other breast, he was amazed by how perfect she was, everything he had dreamed she would be.

“Draco, you are so very beautiful.” Harry whispered against her chest and he kissed a trail down to her belly button.

“Oh god Harry, whatever you do, don’t you dare stop.”

This made the Gryffindor laugh against her, sending tingles across her body. “If you are sure, Love.”

“Harry, I have never been so sure of anything in my whole damned life.” Draco’s commanding tone gave him the courage to slid his hands into the top of her trousers and help her out of them, repeating the action easily on his own boxers.

Draco’s fingers took up a firm but easy grip around his cock without any prompting and when she started to stroke him, he suddenly felt endlessly grateful that his girlfriend used to be a guy. Her touch was perfect, every little action turning him to mush. He was kneeling over her legs, eyes on the magnificent sight before him, but still incapable of rational thought when she took his hand and placed it between her legs.

What little thought he had had before then vanished, as he gently ran his fingers over the warm and wet opening and when he let a couple of fingers gently enter her he was lost.

“Oh wow Draco, I need you so much right now.” Harry leant down and kissed Draco with all the passion he could manage.

“Oh, please Harry, please do.” Draco arched her back again, her whole body begging for him now.

Harry trailed his hands over her thighs, worshiping every inch of her.

“Draco, look at me.” She did. “If you tell me to stop at any time, I will.” He kissed her again as he spread her legs and lined himself up with her.

“Harry.” She looked him in the eyes, her desire and wanting clear as day, her voice like a drug he would never be able to get enough of. He knew he would spend the rest of his life trying to make her speak his name that way again and again.

As he entered her they both let a moan; it was hot and tight against Harry and he had to move slowly so as not to come straight away and for Draco it was mildly uncomfortable but the pleasure of being able to feel him inside her overwrote all doubts.

“Oh Merlin yes...” Draco cried out still not breaking their eye contact.

Taking this to mean that Draco was truly okay Harry experimentally pulled out before thrusting back in. His girlfriend made one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard, as she automatically wrapped her arms around him. He gently spread her legs slightly more as he trust a little bit deeper the next time.

She was breathing deeply and he was still feeling so close to the edge. Leaning forward as he continued to move inside her warm tightness, he kissed her, whispering her name against her lips.

She cried out his name as her whole body shuddered, the heat between her legs seeming to intensify as she constricted around his member, which combined with the sight of her and the sounds she was making tipped Harry over the edge.

Draco sighed with contentment as she felt him empty himself into her willing body. It was everything she had hoped it would be; they had given themselves to each other in a way that would permanently tie them to each other.

Once he had recovered slightly Harry was able to pull out and flopped down on the bed next to Draco.

“Wow... that was....” Harry failed to find any words that could quiet express it.

“Yeah it was.” Luckily Draco didn’t need them. She found herself wondering that if that was what the first time was like, could it possibly get better when they knew what they were doing?

“Erm... Draco, I hate to ruin this moment, but what time is it?” Harry had just looked over to the window and realised the sun was most definitely up.

Draco lazily cast a time charm using her wand and found it was 8.35. She sat up suddenly, they had twenty five minutes to get to the great hall and eat before breakfast was finished.

“Eight, thirty-five Harry, we need to be in the great hall now. I am going to shower, you can go after me.”

Harry scrambled out of bed and his girlfriend disappeared behind the bathroom door and he heard the shower start. He realised that all his clothes were in the Gryffindor tower on the other side of the castle.

“Dobby.” The house elf appeared. “Could you get me a change of clothes from my trunk in the Gryffindor tower?”

“Yes, Mr Harry Potter Sir.” He bowed slightly before disappearing.

Harry went to pick up his clothes from the night before only to realise they were actually cleaned, washed and placed on the side. Well apparently he didn’t need to have asked Dobby for help, but as least he could leave these there in case he needed them another day.

“Your clothes, Harry Potter Sir.” Dobby placed a neat pile of all the things he would need on the bed.

Harry didn’t have a chance to thank the elf before he vanished and Draco appeared from the bathroom wrapped only in a towel, but they didn’t have time for him to be thinking that way so he gave her just a chaste kiss on his way to the bathroom.

-#-

Impressively it was only about fifteen minutes later that they were walking into the great hall, in hopes of finding something to eat quickly before they had to go to class.

“Morning.” Hermione was smirking at them again.

“Morning.” Harry and Draco responded in sync getting the attention of Ron, who was finishing of what looked like a very large cooked breakfast.

“What happened to you guys?” He asked.

Hermione attempted to hide her amusement at the question given that she already apparently had a few ideas about what might have happened. The blushes on both Harry and Draco’s faces did nothing to dissuade these ideas.

“We _just_ went to sleep.” Draco told them pointedly and satisfied with this Ron returned his attentions to his meal.

“Of course, and I suppose you _just_ over slept this morning too?” Hermione asked with her very best, I know a lot more than you think I do look.

This time Harry knew they wouldn’t be able to not give themselves away, settling for it being better that just Hermione had them figured out, rather than the other Gryffindors as well. He encouraged Draco into a seat, taking his own between his girlfriend and best friends, mumbling about needing to eat before breakfast vanished.

They were both helping themselves to bowls of fruit salad when Hermione leaned over slightly and whispered in Harry’s ear.

“Please be careful Harry, you are both still young; I don’t want to see either of you hurt.” Her voice was full of concern and though Harry knew she only wanted to help, he was annoyed with her meddling.

“We are fine Hermione; I would never deliberately hurt her.” Harry forced his voice to stay quiet and calm.

Hermione apparently had more to say but a harsh look from Harry and a question about their first lesson from Ron, made her drop it.

They were just leaving to make their way to their first lesson when Dumbledore asked for a word with Harry for a few moments.

“Harry, I do not wish to embarrass you, but I must ask that you return to the Gryffindor tower to sleep in future. Draco’s room is a privilege that I will not allow either of you to abuse. Do I make myself quite clear?”

“Yes Sir, of course Sir.” Harry wasn’t able to meet the headmaster’s eyes.

“Very well, now hurry to class, I believe I may have already made you slightly late.”

Not wanting to stay in the awkward moment any longer than he needed to, Harry all but ran from the hall, towards the charms corridor.

Professor Flitwick had frowned at him, but nodded his understanding when Harry mouthed Dumbledore’s name and an apology. Harry slid into his seat next to Draco, dropping his bag to the floor by their desk.

Draco waited for the lesson to start properly again before she turned to her boyfriend with a questioning look.

“What did Dumbledore..?” She whispered under her breath.

Harry however shook his head, glancing around the room. “Later.” He told her.

Draco understood; he wasn’t going to explain with other ears listening in, so she gave him a smile and turned her attention back to what Flitwick was currently writing on the board at the front.

Hermione and Ron had been giving him the same slightly curious looks too so he smiled at them and mouth ‘it’s okay’, which seemed to be enough for them.

-#-

“So what was it that Dumbledore wanted, Harry?” Ron asked as the four of them left the classroom a couple of hours later.

Three sets of curious eyes on him, Harry knew it was no good trying to put off telling Draco any longer.

“It wasn’t anything much, he just told me to make sure I return to the Gryffindor tower before curfew in future.”

Draco stiffened slightly and blushed; she suspected that her boyfriend might have been paraphrasing what the headmaster had actually said. That meant that the headmaster at least suspected what they had been up to, which was weird to say the least.

“Is there anything that old man doesn’t know about?” Ron laughed.

This time it was Harry’s turn to become slightly flushed, Draco suspected he was worrying about just how much the headmaster actually knew. Draco pressed herself into Harry’s side, his arm coming around her shoulder. Subtly as she could manage she elbowed him gently and as he looked at her she was smirking at him; apparently amused by the idea that people might have figured out just how close the two of them now were.

-#-

The first few weeks of term were tough but straight forward. The teachers were all lecturing them about the importance of OWLs and about how they needed to start considering what they wanted to do with their futures.

The homework was slightly overwhelming but Hermione took to planning out time for them to complete it all like a duck to water and between the four of them they managed to keep on top things.

Both Harry and Ron made the Gryffindor Quidditch team and despite Harry’s repeated suggestions Draco refused to try out for the Slytherin one. Draco was however missing flying and planned to find an opportunity to fly with Harry again as soon they both had the time.

Harry hadn’t broken his promise to the headmaster and had slept in the Gryffindor tower, though he had pointed out to Draco that she hadn’t promised not to stay with him in the tower. She had however just laughed at him and told him that she would not be submitting herself to a lecture from the headmaster about appropriate places to sleep.

They had managed to get some time alone in her room over the weekends, using it to explore each other even more. Draco would remember the look on Harry’s face, when she had given him his first blowjob, till her dying day and Harry would forever be hoping to make Draco make the noises she made when he had made her come using only his tongue.

It was getting more and more difficult for them to keep their hands off each other and they had both agreed they weren’t actually that hungry at dinner time on the Thursday evening of the third week of term. They had barely made it through the door to Draco’s room before they had both of their robes on the floor and Harry’s shirt half off.

The kisses were aggressive and passionate; just what they both wanted. Harry’s hands on Draco’s bottom were used to lift her up, his body holding her against the wall of her room. Neither of them bothered trying to use words, Draco’s hands quickly found the button and zip of Harry’s trousers, freeing his body’s obvious want from the fabric.

Harry’s hands slid up to her waist, taking her skirt with them. Harry was not sure he remembered when she had really started dressing like a girl, but he was very glad for skirts in that moment. Neither of them was in a patient mood, so pulling her underwear slightly to the side he pushed into her.

Draco’s head tilted back against the wall at the feeling of him inside her, it was just as good as she remembered.  Harry kissing her now exposed neck as they picked up the pace. Their climaxes didn’t take long, but when they did, they came hard. Harry had to take a moment before he was able to support them enough to move them to the bed.

Draco held onto him as he laid them both down on the bed. Neither spoke, both happy just to enjoy the quiet of the other's company and the afterglow of their sex. Harry must have fallen asleep because he woke the sound of Draco rushing to the bathroom; he wasn’t worried until he heard her retching.

“Draco. Are you okay, Love?” Harry had jumped out of bed and was just outside of the closed door to the bathroom.

He heard the toilet flush and the tap turn on for a few minutes, before the door opened and Draco hugged against his chest. He automatically put his arms around her, a hand on her back, the other stroking her hair.

“You okay?” Harry asked again and felt Draco nod against him.

“I feel fine now. You should be getting back to the tower; Dumbledore will have our necks if you stay here again.”

“I am not leaving till I know you are okay.” Harry told her.

Meeting her boyfriend’s eyes she promised him that she really was okay and would be going straight back to bed. He reluctantly agreed to leave making her promise to be at breakfast.


	6. Consequences

_Previously: _

_“You okay?” Harry asked again and felt Draco nod against him._

_“I feel fine now. You should be getting back to the tower; Dumbledore will have our necks if you stay here again.”_

_“I am not leaving till I know you are okay.” Harry told her._

_Meeting her boyfriend’s eyes she promised him that she really was okay and would be going straight back to bed. He reluctantly agreed to leave making her promise to be at breakfast._

-#-

Harry was just starting to get concerned when Draco kissed him on the temple as she dropped into the seat next to him at breakfast.

“Better this morning?” Harry asked her.

“I told you Harry, I felt fine last night, it was just my stomach didn’t like something.” Draco rolled her eyes at him, thought she felt slightly guilty for not telling him it was the third time in the last week she had been sick.

“What happened?” Hermione asked with a small frown on her face.

“Nothing happened, Harry is just worrying. I wasn’t very well yesterday evening, I feel just fine now.”

“Leave her be you two, she said she’s fine.” Ron snapped slightly before Hermione or Harry could say anything else.

Everyone turned to stare at the ginger haired Gryffindor. Ron was defending Draco?

“Err, thanks Ron.” Draco was in shock but took the chance to load up her plate with food.

“Hungry, Love?” Harry asked her with a laugh at the full plate of food.

“Well didn’t have dinner last night, so yeah.” She gave him a slight glare, to which he held his hands up to indicate defeat, though he was still smiling at her.

They ate the rest of their breakfast in relative quiet before they had to leave for class.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I am getting really sick of these Defence against Dark Arts classes, this Dirum woman is the worst teacher we have ever had for anything.” Ron grumbled.

“Well we will just have to keep practicing by ourselves; I guess at least we will definitely pass the written half of the exam.” Hermione sounded as frustrated as Ron though.

They took their seats in the classroom, putting their wands away and opening their books to the next chapter. They knew there was no chance of Dirum not following her usual routine. The Slytherins could be heard laughing about something from behind them but Draco and the Gryffindors had gotten proficient at ignoring them now and Draco realised for the first time she honestly didn’t care about what her fellow Slytherins thought of her any more. 

Draco sighed happily and leaned her head on Harry’s shoulder for a moment; she was feeling tired which was annoying considering how well she had slept.

“Sit up young lady.” Professor Dirum instructed sharply as she walked past their desk.

Draco did as commanded and glared at the old woman as Professor Dirum took her place back in front of the class, telling them which chapter they needed to be reading today. It was exactly the chapter they had already opened their books to and there was a collective sigh as they all started reading.

-#-

“Draco, will you wait behind for a few moments dear.” Dirum called out sternly.

Draco sighed; apparently the woman really did hate it when people didn't pay attention in her classes. Harry gave Draco a sympathetic look and told her he would meet her at lunch, before he left with Ron and Hermione.

“Now Draco, I assume you are aware that this is a classroom?” Dirium asked patronisingly.

“Yes, Professor.”

“Am I to assume you are aware that it is not appropriate to have physically displays of affection within a classroom?” the Professor managed to make it sound like they were having a happy discussion rather than telling a student off.

“Yes, Professor, it won’t happen again.”

“See to it that it doesn’t. You may go.”

Draco wasted no time getting out of the room but taking care not to let Professor Dirum see her run, she was sure that running in the castle would be highly frowned upon.

She headed towards the great hall and was most of the way there when she turned a corner to have her path block by Theodore Nott. He was large compared to her only just over five foot height and the look in his eye made her feel very uneasy.

“Well, if it isn’t little girly Draco.” Nott drooled out; they had never been friends but Nott had at least always been respectful, until now.

“Let me passed, Theo.” Draco tried to sound calm and collected, but she found herself desperately hoping for Harry to come back to look for her now.

“Looking for your precious Potter?” Nott must have noticed her nervous glance toward the end of the corridor passed him. A victorious gleam in his eyes made Draco’s stomach churn “He isn’t here to protect you now.”

The taller Slytherin guy took a few steps closer and, when Draco went to run away, he easily reached out and took hold of both of her wrists.

“Theo, just let me go.” She ordered as she tried to pull free but his strength was too much for her and she was suddenly painfully aware of just how small she was in comparison to him.

“I don’t think so.” He growled as he used his whole body to push her back against the wall, her arms pinned over her head.

Draco was winded and slightly in shock, Nott had her two wrists in one hand before she realised what was happening. Then all at once her situation seemed to dawn on her and she went to cry out only to find his sweaty palm over her mouth.

“You even try to scream and I will really make this so much worse for you.” Nott’s mouth was right next to her ear and she instinctively tried to move her head away.

The strong arms spun her around so her chest and face were painfully against the stone wall and she whimpered when he suddenly pushed her skirt up and slid an arm around her waist.

Draco wasn’t sure when she had started crying, but her face was wet with tears; she couldn’t believe this was happening.

“HARRY!” She screamed as loudly as she could and Nott pushed his body against hers painfully again. “HARRY!” she screamed again as Nott once again forced a sweaty palm across her mouth.

“DRACO!!”

She started crying with relied as Harry’s voice called out her name. “GET THE HELL OFF HER YOU BASTARD!”

She couldn’t see what was happening, but the pressure of Nott against her released and she automatically curled up into a ball, leaning against the wall, pulling her skirt back around her legs. She was crying and she couldn’t stop.

“Draco, Love it’s me.” Harry crouched down in front of her. “Draco? Please talk to me.” He was crying to.

Draco didn’t speak, but cried even harder as she threw herself into Harry’s arms. The two of them crying as he held her, neither speaking till they could cry no more.

“Draco, did he...?” Harry asked, he thought he was going to be sick at the very idea of what Nott could have done; he couldn’t even say the words.

“No, but if you hadn’t turned up....” Draco sighed against his chest. “... I love you.”

“I love you too. Can we take you to Madam Pomfrey? Get her to take care of your bruises at least.”

There were already red marks appearing around her wrists and she was sure there were several bruises on her body if the pain was anything to go by; she nodded, she wanted the little painful reminders gone already.

Harry helped Draco to her feet and for the first time Draco noticed that Nott had a broken nose several visible bruises and was out cold.

“I would have killed him; if I hadn’t had to stop to make sure you were okay. If he had actually... well I don’t think anyone could have stopped me.” Harry was clearly still as angry as Draco was shaken.

-#-

Madam Pomfrey had been horrified when Harry told her what happened; Draco hadn’t been able to tell her. She had sent a patronus to Dumbledore immediately asking for him to come to the medical wing.

She had easily healed the bruises on his wrists and the couple that were on her back, Draco told her that her breasts hurt where she had been pushed against the wall but there were no bruises for her to heal.

Harry was telling Dumbledore everything that had happened and had gotten permission to stay with Draco in her room that evening, as he absolutely refused to leave her alone and Draco was already refusing to stay in the medical wing over night.

Nott had already been arrested and had been expelled, as well as being taken to the ministry to be charged with various assault charges.

Draco still felt quite dazed when she got into bed an hour or so later, and was relieved to be able to curl up in Harry’s arms. Sleep came surprisingly easily and for the first time all day she was glad she was so tired.

Harry, however, lay awake, watching her; the peaceful expression on her face the only thing that was keeping him sane. He was not sure either of them could have recovered if he hadn’t stopped Nott when he did.

-#-

Draco awoke to see her favourite green eyes watching her and wasn’t able to hold back her grin at the sight of him.

“Did you sleep at all, Harry?” She asked, concern suddenly written all over her face.

He shook his head. “I was just watching you, I needed to be able to see you were okay, besides who knows when I will be allowed to sleep next to you again, I didn’t want to miss a second of it.”

“You know it isn’t sleeping next to me, if you don’t actually sleep.” She leaned up and kissed him. “Hold that thought.” She told him as she slid out of bed and dashed into the bathroom.

He heard her retching again, he didn’t even bother waiting outside the bathroom this time, opening the door and taking a seat next to her on the floor, pulling her hair carefully back away from her face.

“Draco?” He asked when she was apparently done and was leaning back into his arms. “What’s going on? Are you unwell?”

“Yeah I guess I must be.” Draco sighed. “I will just spend today in bed, was kind of planning on doing that anyway given that it is Saturday.”

“Well... I would stay with you but I have Quidditch practice; I will come and check on you later.” Harry kissed the top of her head, before helping her to her feet and back into bed.

“I need to go get my stuff from the tower. You going to be okay on your own here?” Harry knelt next to the bed and brushed her hair off her face. She nodded and smiled at him.

“Okay, Love. Sleep well.” Harry kissed her lips, then her forehead before heading out of the room.

-#-

It was late when Harry finally got back to Draco’s room, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stay long as curfew was fast approaching, but he wanted to make sure she was feeling better before he went off to bed.

It was dark and he could hear her breathing in her sleep. He threw his robe over the back of a chair and went to check on her, only to stand on an open book that was on the floor near the bed, he cast a spell to turn on the lights dimly.

“What you been reading today?” He asked rhetorically of Draco, picking the book up.

He read the title of the page three times, eyes wide with surprise. He read down the next few paragraphs, not really taking it in at all but some words jumping out at him... ** _‘symptoms’_**... ** _‘morning sickness’_**... ** _‘tired’_**... ** _‘sore breasts’_**... ** _‘pregnancy’_**.

Surely not, they had only actually had sex twice, one of those times only two days ago. There was also a spell, with a guide to casting it. He looked at his beautiful petite blonde girlfriend and decided he needed to know. He read the spell again and the guide to casting it.

“Praegnatus.” He said holding his wand a few inches from Draco’s stomach. He spoke the word quietly really not wanting her to wake up and find him doing the spell.

There was a small light that moved towards her belly, turning a pale golden colour before fading. He snatched the book up from where he had placed in on the floor, next to where he was kneeling.

**_‘The spell will create a small light which will turn black if negative and a golden colour if positive.’_ **

Harry was on the verge of panic. ‘A baby’ he thought to himself, Draco was actually pregnant, what had they done? They were so young and Draco had been alone when she found out. ‘She must be so scared’. He sat back against the wall and watched the mother of his child sleep; mother of his child... now that was a scary thought.

He moved forward, trying to use some of that famous Gryffindor courage. “Draco?” He whispered close to her. “Draco Love.”

Her eyes opened slowly and a smile formed at the corners of her mouth. “What time is it?”

“It’s quite late.” He told her with a timid smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Better for sleeping for most of today.” She was still waking up but Harry was definitely looking at her strangely. Did he know? Was best she tell him straight away either way? She didn’t want to hide this from him.

“I need to tell you something Harry.” She said after a few moments, sitting up in the bed and pulling her knees up to her chest. She was trying so hard not to cry but already tears were escaping.

“Draco...” Harry quickly climbed into the bed and pulled her into his arms at which point she burst into tears.

“I am so sorry, Harry, so sorry.” He could barely make out the words between her sobs.

“It’s okay Draco, Love, I know, we will figure it out, I found the book.” He kissed her temple and placed a hand on her stomach. He was crying too, he never wanted her to be so upset, especially not over something he did.

At this she just cried even harder against his chest. “How is this ever going to be okay?”

“I know you are scared Draco but I am here for whatever you need.” Harry kissed her temple again, whilst holding onto her as if their lives depended on it.

“I need us to be seventeen so that they don’t snatch our child from our hands the second they are born.” Draco almost yelled at him, hysterically pounding her clenched fist against his chest.

“WHAT?” Harry was confused and upset that Draco would think he would ever let someone take their child from them. “Is that what you are upset about, that you think someone will take our baby away from us? Not that you are pregnant”

Draco leaned back to stare at Harry, “Of course, I love that I can give you a family, it scares me and I wish we had finished school and were older and everything but I love it; but no-one under the age of seventeen is allowed to be responsible for a child. The ministry will take this baby Harry; our only family will be literally snatched from our arms.” Silent tears were rolling down from her now very red eyes.

“Draco, I don’t care what it takes, NO-ONE will take this baby from you, from us; we have both already lost too much.” Harry was calm and serious when he jumped out of the bed kissing Draco’s forehead and placing her hands deliberately over her belly. “You two stay here; I am going to go do whatever it takes to keep us together. I Love you both.”

Draco was still lost for words, staring at her incredible, though perhaps slightly crazy, boyfriend and the father of her child, as he disappeared out the door.  She almost let herself hope; if anyone was going to find a way for them to keep their child at the age of just fifteen, it would be Harry Potter.

-#-

Harry was feeling determined but the closer he got to Dumbledore’s office, the more anxious he felt.

“Harry. There you are. I was starting to get worried; curfew started ten minutes ago, we need to get back.... Are you okay Harry?” Hermione had been talking from the moment she saw him and only stopped when she got close enough to see the expression on his face and his eyes red from crying.

“I really need your help Hermione; it’s Draco...”

“Oh Harry. She’s pregnant, isn’t she?” Hermione interrupted and when Harry nodded dumbly, she pulled him into a hug.

“You want to know how to stop them taking the baby away I assume.” To which he just nodded again, sometimes Hermione still amazed him.

“I was just on my way to Dumbledore; want to tell me what you know on the way there?” Harry suggested, she nodded and they continued towards the headmaster’s office. Harry felt a lot calmer now he wasn’t about to do this alone.

“Well there have been a couple of cases where parents under the age of seventeen were allowed to keep their baby, but in all those cases the parents were already married Harry, so unless ...”

“No Hermione we did not secretly get married, wishing we had right now though.” Harry sighed.

“Well you will also definitely have to assign at least a couple of adult guardians to your child, but that is far less problematic, I am sure both Sirius and Molly would insist on being involved anyway.” Hermione had apparently actually put some thought into this.

“Hermione, how long and how did you know?” Harry put a hand on her arm; they stopped walking and turned to face each other.

“Well I have been worried something like this would happen since the beginning of term, you can barely keep your hands off each other, and then you stayed with her over night. You both were raised in poor parented environments as boys so I assumed it likely no-one ever talked to you about preventative measures....” She sighed, “I didn’t exactly know, but every girl knows the symptoms, sickness, tiredness, and change in appetite... I should have said something, I am sorry Harry.”

“No, it’s okay Hermione, thank you for watching out for us. I mean you already looked up everything we would need to know if this happened. You are amazing but I think we need Dumbledore now. ”

Hermione nodded her agreement and they went the last flight of stairs till they were standing in front of the eagle staircase, which opened without prompting.

“I guess he knew we were coming.” Harry mumbled worriedly.

Dumbledore was sat in the chair behind his desk when the two Gryffindors entered the office. He wordlessly offered them the chairs across from him, whilst giving them questioning looks over his spectacles.

“What do I owe this pleasure to, at such a late hour? I was about to retire to bed myself when I became aware of your presence at my door.”

“Sir....” Harry started but realised he had no idea what to say; he lowered his eyes to the floor and tried again. “I have done something incredibly stupid and I really need your help, Sir.”

“Harry? What exactly is it you have done? I am afraid that I will require a few more details before I can offer assistance, though I assure you I will do whatever I can to help you.” Dumbledore’s voice was stern and powerful which reassured Harry, but added to the feeling that he had let everyone down.

When Harry still seemed to be unable to explain, the headmaster turned to Hermione. “Would you be happy for Miss Granger here to tell me the situation, Harry?”

At Harry’s nod, Hermione spoke. “Draco’s pregnant, Sir.”

Harry was now holding his head in his hands, crying slightly again.

“I never meant to hurt her and now they will take away the only family she has, snatch her child from her arms, before we are ever given a chance to even be a family.” Harry’s voice was suddenly strong, though filled with pain and heartache.

Dumbledore was for once apparently completely lost for words and taken off guard though only for a few seconds before he got control of himself.

“If I am not mistaken, Harry, you will go to pretty much any lengths to ensure this child is allowed to remain with you and Draco?” Harry nodded vigorously. “Very well, if Draco consents we will have you married tomorrow and we will back date the ceremony to August.”

“So we were married when....” Harry could see what Dumbledore had in mind but this was going to mean lying to the ministry. “I will ask her but if it means we get to keep our baby I am sure she will agree.”

“I will do what I can to help you both, Harry. This does not change that I am very disappointed in your behaviour, you have acting incredibly selfishly and irresponsibly. I will be contacting Sirius and Molly this evening. I will ask them to be witnesses, given we need people we can trust to keep the true date of your marriage a secret.” The look Dumbledore was giving him made him fear the similar looks of disappointment he knew he would see on Molly and Sirius’ faces the next day.

“I will also leave it to you to figure out an explanation for why you kept your marriage a secret for two months and why you chose to reveal it now, for it is essential that your marriage is recognised by the ministry before Draco’s pregnancy becomes known about. I suggest you go discuss this with Draco; I am sure the anxiety she is currently experiencing is not healthy for the baby.”

Hermione and Harry took this to mean they were dismissed and left the office.

“I am going to go talk to Draco. See you tomorrow?” Harry sounded quite exhausted.

“Probably, if not before you get married, good luck.” Hermione hugged him and ran off towards the Gryffindor tower.

“Thanks....”


	7. We'll Do What We Have To Do

_Previously: _

_“I am going to go talk to Draco. See you tomorrow?” Harry sounded quite exhausted._

_“Probably, if not before you get married, good luck.” Hermione hugged him and ran off towards the Gryffindor tower._

_“Thanks....”_

-#-

“You still awake Draco?” Harry asked as he got back to his girlfriend’s room.

“No Harry; I went straight back to sleep after my boyfriend ran out of the room to figure out some impossible scheme to allow us to become parents at fifteen years old.” Draco’s voice was heavy with sarcasm and Harry knew it was best he start explaining.

“Will you marry me, Draco?” Harry hadn’t quite intended to lead with that but it was a bit late to think about asking it a bit less out of the blue.”

“Err... Seriously?” Draco asked

“I feel I should probably explain.” Harry chuckled nervously.

“Yes, you should, but you better not take that proposal back, Harry Potter.” Draco said sternly with a finger pointing at him.

Harry crawled onto the bed and knelt next to Draco.

“Okay, so the only parents under the age of seventeen who have been able to keep their child have been married and before you point out the obvious, which is that we aren’t married, we have a plan.” Harry looked pleadingly at Draco and seeing that she wasn’t freaking out decided to continue.

“Dumbledore has agreed to marry us tomorrow, if you agree, and then back date the ceremony to the beginning of August. We have to just tell people we wanted to keep our marriage a secret for a few months. We also have to figure out a reason why we would suddenly be announcing our marriage now.”

Harry paused and bit his lip before asking again. “Draco, will you marry me?”

Draco actually managed a smile, “You actually did it, you found a way to save our family; of course I will marry you.”

She reached out to pull her fiancé against her and kissed him; clinging to him as relief and anxieties danced in her head. "Harry?"

"Draco?" Harry pulled away to look at her seriously.

“I have an idea," She grinned, "... for a little performance we can put on to explain finally telling people we are married.”

“Really?” Harry was impressed but should have known his Slytherin wife-to-be would know how to play the public to believe what they needed them to.

“Of course; your very hormonal wife is going to get very cross at you tomorrow, yelling quite loudly that ‘being my husband does not give you the right to tell me what to do’. There would be little point trying to keep any marriage a secret after that wouldn’t you agree.” Draco looked exceedingly pleased with herself. “This could be fun, have kind of missed yelling at you in public.”

Harry laughed, “Well it is kind of brilliant in its simplicity; I will give you that. I really do love you, both of you. Oh, we will also have to give this baby a few adult guardians too, but I know Molly Weasley and Sirius will want to be involved in everything anyway and I am happy to let you pick whoever you want looking out for our baby too.”

“We are really getting married tomorrow then?” Draco asked grinning, “You better get me a nice ring, you know; having knocked me up and cornered me into marrying you and everything.” She gave Harry a wink.

He leaned forward more so that he was leaning over Draco slightly; he wrapped his arms around her, to lie her down beneath him. “As my wife, you can have whatever you want, Love.” His voice was deeper than it usually was and sounded almost like a purr.

Draco felt herself giving herself over to him, to her husband to be; though the paperwork tomorrow would say that they had already been married for two months. Perhaps it was fortunate that they were so affectionate in public, was likely no-one would doubt that they had been married since before the start of term once they got over the initial shock.

-#-

“Come in.” Dumbledore called a few moments after Harry and Draco knocked on his door early the next morning.

The Gryffindor gave Draco a reassuring smile but his blonde fiancé could see how nervous he actually was. Draco found herself kind of hoping that the headmaster would have already told Sirius and Mrs Weasley about the pregnancy so that she wouldn’t have to be witness to their reactions but the first words she heard made it clear that hadn’t happened.

“What is this all about Dumbledore? Harry? Draco?” Sirius demanded to know, looking between the three of them for answers.

“I think that it would be best if you heard that from Harry and Draco.” Dumbledore seemed to be quite happy to sit back in his chair behind his desk and watch events unfold for now.

Draco was silently cursing in her head; she was dreading the looks of disappointment and feared that they would be disgusted or hate her. She was holding tightly onto Harry’s hand and as Mrs Weasley and Sirius were both looking at Harry expectantly, she looked up to return the half-hearted reassuring smile he had given a few moments earlier.

“Harry, what, in the name of Merlin, is going on.” Sirius demanded when no-body spoke.

“Well...” Harry ran his free hand through his hair nervously. “It’s...err...well...” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

“Draco’s pregnant and now we have to get married so that they won’t take our baby away from us.” He spoke so quickly it was difficult to hear some of the words, but if the shocked faces of the people Harry considered his parents were anything to go by, they had got the idea.

“You COMPLETELY selfish, irresponsible CHILD...” Sirius was yelling; both the teens were rooted to the spot staring wide-eyed as he berated his godson. “A baby... you are FIFTEEN YEARS OLD!”

Molly in the meantime had walked straight past Harry with a very disappointed look on her face and pulled Draco into a hug, talking quietly in her ear. “It will be okay, you are family now, and we take care of family.”

“Thanks, Mrs Weasley.” Draco told her quietly and when she was released from the hug, just as quietly added to Sirius. “This isn’t just Harry’s fault, you know.”

“Oh, I am VERY well aware, Draco.” Harry’s godfather rounded on the petite Slytherin girl, making her flinch. “I have no place to yell at you for your incredibly poor choices; however that does not mean I am any less disappointed.”

The two teens hung their heads, no longer able to stand to look at those who had willingly taken them in, when their families were gone. Draco was rather alarmed by the bubbling emotions that seemed to be spreading like wildfire through her mind; her eyes prickled with tears and her head span as she felt a sadness that threatened to overwhelm her.

She managed to hold it back, only letting out a small sob as a couple of tears fell to the floor. It was enough, however, for Harry to notice and he seemed to forget everyone else in the room as he pulled her against his chest; his arms wrapped tightly around her, placing kisses on the top of her head.

“I am so sorry, Love.” He spoke quietly against her hair, her breathing coming in gasps as she sobbed against him.

After a couple of minutes Draco managed to get control over her emotions again and Harry had dried away her tears.

“Sorry.” Draco said to the three adults, though whether it was an apology for the pregnancy or her moment of emotional turmoil was not clear.

“Oh don’t be silly dear; pregnancy is going to make all your emotions go a little haywire.”  Mrs Weasley told her dismissively.

“Well, now we are all informed, would I be correct in assuming that I will be performing a marriage here today?” Dumbledore leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk to pear at the young couple who nodded with small smiles.

“Wait.... married...?” Sirius exclaimed

“Yes Sirius, if you had actually listened rather than flying off the handle, Harry already said that they needed to get married so that they could keep the child.” Molly glared lightly at the shaggy haired man.

“We are going to back date their marriage certificate to the fifth of August, Sirius; this would mean their child was conceived once they were already bound to each other. I believe I will then be able to ensure that no-one will take their Child from their care. I will also expect that both you and Molly will need to be declared adult guardians to the child, assuming that Harry and Draco have elected for the guardians to be you of course.” Dumbledore explained.

“I am Harry’s legal guardian and all this was decided without me?” Sirius sounded slightly affronted.

“Time was of the essence and given this only came to light late yesterday evening, I assure you that you have been informed very promptly, Sirius.” The old man’s voice was stern and made it clear that this was how things had to be. “Shall we proceed?”

Not waiting for a response Dumbledore selected a couple of scrolls from his desk as he walked around to stand in front of it, holding out two small boxes.

“I took a small liberty of retrieving this for you Harry, it was your mother’s” Dumbledore told him as he placed one of the small boxes into the young man’s hands.

Opening it carefully, Harry saw that it contained a beautiful ring made up of a gold and a silver strand which twisted around each other. He let out a small gasp, it was perfect. “This was my mother’s...”

“You mother’s wedding ring, yes, Harry. I also have your Father's for you."

“Thank you.” His words heavy with emotion the young Gryffindor turned to Draco. “Shall we get married, Love?”

Draco simply smiled and gave a small nod as Harry guided them to stand in front of Dumbledore and his desk; Molly and Sirius standing a few feet away as witnesses.

-#-

It had not taken long for Dumbledore to declare them man and wife, and they were done in time that they could still have breakfast in the great hall, which was always slightly later on a Sunday given that most students chose to have a lie in.

“Well Mrs Potter, shall we go eat.” Harry asked smugly, holding out his elbow for his wife.

“Shut up or someone will hear you; that’s supposed to be a secret at the moment.” Draco chastised but took the offered elbow non–the-less.

She couldn’t help but play with the ring that now sat on her right hand where it had magically adjusted itself to fit perfectly. She loved both the ring and that Harry had given her such an heirloom but knew it would take a while to get used to it being there even with the charms they had used to hide it from sight.

As they took their usual seats across from where Ron was shovelling food into his mouth, Hermione gave Harry a questioning look; it was a question Harry apparently understood as he nodded in response.  Hermione seemed unable not to grin and Draco suddenly realised that she knew where they had been that morning. Frowning at her husband, she wondered when he had had the time to update one of his best friends on such matters but decided that it was a question best saved for later, when there would be less unwanted ears.

“Are you two joining us in the Library, to finish that Transfiguration essay today?” Ron asked, oblivious to the silent communication that had gone on around him.

“Of course.” Harry grinned at the redhead.

Draco had already served herself a couple of fried eggs, a sausage and some toast. Harry offered her some mushrooms which normally she loved but the smell made her turn a funny slightly green shade as she suddenly covered her mouth with her hand.

“No mushrooms.... got it.” Harry said quietly as he kissed her temple, moving to bowl of offending food as far away as possible

“You okay, Draco?” Ron asked as he looked up from the plate of food he had almost finished, “You don’t look well.”

Draco took a couple of slow breaths as she moved her hand from her mouth; her face was still slightly off colour but she managed to nod at Ron.

“Yeah, just slightly under the weather; I just need to get some food in me.” She gave him a small smile as she picked up a piece of toast from her plate. “Thanks for asking though.” She added after she had managed a couple of bites.

Harry kept his head down and was thankful that his wife and best friend seemed to be managing to actually be nice to each other. They had been managing civil for some time but it had sounded a lot like Ron had expressed genuine concern for the blonde’s well-being.  He was a little suspicious about the timing and wondered if Hermione had mentioned anything, not that it would matter soon as the truth would be out. 

‘Damn’ Harry thought, if they really were going to go public with their marriage that evening he had to tell Ron first, it wouldn’t do for him to find out with the rest of the school.

“Err, can we go for a walk around the lake, I mean all of us, before we go study.” Harry asked nervously, giving Hermione a pleading look hoping she would help him out.

“Sounds like a good idea. Hurry up and eat you two then we can go.” Hermione nodded in the direction of Harry and Draco’s still half pull plates.

“I don’t really feel like a walk at the moment, why don’t you three go; I will meet you in the library when you get back.” Draco suggested.

“You sure, Love?” Harry asked and when Draco nodded, helping herself to another sausage, he got up, kissed the top of her head and indicated that Ron and Hermione should follow.

-#-

“So I take it you weren’t just in a mood for a walk, Harry?” Ron smirked at his best friend.

They had barely made it out of the castle but, as it had rained over night and not many people were venturing out into the grounds, choosing instead to pass their Sunday with indoor activities. Harry looked around anyway to make sure they wouldn’t be overheard, as they headed in the direction of the lake, pulling at his hair nervously.

“What’s got you so on edge?” Ron asked as he noticed his friend’s anxious habit.

“It’s about Draco but no-one can know just yet, so I need you not to completely freak out and start yelling and such, okay?” It was the seriousness of Harry’s expression that made Ron nod his agreement.

“Why are you giving this speech to me and not Hermione.... oh... great... You already know?” He sighed as he rounded on his other best friend.

Hermione shrugged and then nodded. “I just kind of figured it out but I only found out for sure last night.”

“I knew something was up with her though, what’s going on.” Ron turned back to Harry.

“Draco’s pregnant.”

Whatever it was that Ron had been expecting it was not that, it was like someone had cast a body binding spell on him; he didn’t move, staring open eyed at Harry. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times but words seemed lost to him.

“I know; that was more or less my reaction too.” Harry tried for a nervous laugh to break the tension.

“But you aren’t adults; the ministry will take the child... is that why no-one can know?” Ron looked as though he had never thought such scandals ever actually happened.

“Sort of, Draco and I are married so...”Harry started to explain.

“MARRIED?!” Ron yelled before suddenly clamping his hands to his mouth, Hermione just rolled her eyes.

“Yes Ron, married, Draco is my wife, which means that Dumbledore believes he will be able to make a case for us to keep our child.” Harry’s voice sounded tired, going from a boyfriend to a husband and father-to-be in less than 24 hours was exhausting apparently.

“So you are going to keep the baby but Harry you are fifteen...”

“And that child is the only family me and Draco have left, you really think I would let ANYONE take that from either of us?” The tone of his voice made Ron feel sorry for anyone who was going to try.

“So WHEN did you actually get married?” Ron asked suspiciously, wondering how long he had been kept in the dark.

“Well only found out about the pregnancy yesterday and we got married this morning, BUT Dumbledore is backdating the marriage so we will have been legally married since August fifth.”

Ron just looked confused and Hermione sighed before she explained.

“They need to have been married when the child was conceived.”

Ron cringed as apparently the concept of their child’s conception put some images in his head that he would rather have never imagined. Harry smirked at the red-head’s reaction.

“So I take it that we are supposed to be playing along with the whole, you have already been married for several months thing? When are we saying that you actually told us about this marriage of yours?” Ron was smirking again, glad that Harry had at least made a point to tell him as soon as possible.

“Well I was thinking about that; I think it is best if we say that you guys have known all along and were just keeping our secret. We will be accidentally letting it slip later today anyway.” Harry explained. “Sirius and your mother were our witnesses, so they already know, just makes sense that we would have told you too.”

Hermione pulled him into a tight hug, “Oh Harry, we are here for you. Still can’t believe this is all actually happening.”

“Yeah, me neither, Hermione. Shall we head back in? I am sure Draco is waiting in the library by now and it is feeling like it is about to start raining.” Harry indicated the path back up to the castle over his shoulder.


	8. Mr And Mrs

_Previously: _

_Hermione pulled him into a tight hug, “Oh Harry, we are here for you. Still can’t believe this is all actually happening.”_

_“Yeah, me neither, Hermione. Shall we head back in? I am sure Draco is waiting in the library by now and it is feeling like it is about to start raining.” Harry indicated the path back up to the castle over his shoulder._

-#-

Draco looked up and laughed quietly to herself as her husband and friends walked into the library looking like they swam there.

“Told you it was about to rain.” Harry snapped slightly at the other two as Draco cast a quick drying charm on him.

“I never said it wasn’t going to.” Hermione cast the same charm on herself and Ron.

“No, you just said it was very difficult to predict weather.” Harry bit back.

Draco who still hadn’t been even acknowledged by any of them was shaking her head and chuckling under her breath in amusement at their banter.

“It was Ron who implied that your prediction of rain was unfounded.” Hermione said as she glared at the boy next to her, who held up his hands in surrender.

“Sorry, I swear never to doubt Harry’s weather forecasting abilities again.” Ron was laughing as he spoke though and soon the other two were laughing with him.

“You guys enjoy your walk?” Draco asked still giggling slightly at their antics.

“Yeah, they are all up to date.” Harry picked up his wife’s hand and kissed her invisible wedding ring, with a devious smile.

“About... everything?” She ran a hand subtly over her still flat belly and Harry nodded.

“I can honestly say I didn’t see it coming, though not all of us can be as observant as Hermione.” Ron rolled his eyes.

They spend the rest of the day finishing off their homework for various classes and Harry was actually pleased with his finished Transfiguration essay which Hermione had found far fewer errors in than she had with Ron’s.

“Well that work wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it might be.” Ron conceded as they made their way to the great hall for dinner. “Maybe we could head out to the Quidditch pitch after dinner.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, Draco smiled at the idea but Harry appeared hesitant. They took their usual seats and Draco noted that the room was already quite full, with most students already present.

“So Draco, you want to go flying in a bit?” Ron asked as he began to fill his plate.

“Draco, I really don’t think you should.” Harry sounded genuinely concerned.

Draco just stared at Harry for a few moments trying to work out if he was actually serious or if he was setting her up to be able to yell at him. Deciding it didn’t matter either way at the moment she put on her best frown.

“You have got to be kidding me, you don’t think I should?”  She deliberately raised her voice slightly getting the attention of a few people around them.

“Draco, we can talk about this after dinner okay.” Harry said it in the best calming tone he could manage.

“No Harry,” Draco stood up and glared at her husband. Ron and Hermione, as well as a large proportion of the student body, were watching them now with expressions of confusion and surprise.

“Draco, please, Love” Harry was looking around nervously and pulled gently on Draco’s arm to get her to sit back down.

The blonde Slytherin took a deep breath and decided if she was going to do this, she was really going to sell it. She thought about how abandoned by her family she had been and soon she had tears on her face thanks to her hormone filled body.

She stepped away from the table and back away from Harry, as he got up from the table.

“Draco.” He spoke sweetly as he held out his hands to her, placing them gently just above her elbows.

“Just because you’re my husband, Harry, doesn’t mean you get to tell me what I can and can’t do. You're not my boss, I am still my own person, Harry.” She yelled at him.

"I know, Draco." Harry tried to placate her quietly, "I wasn't trying to, Love."

It was all too much for her though and suddenly she broke down into full tears; Harry pulled her into a tight embrace against his chest, stroking her hair. He felt as her legs gave out underneath her, apparently even the forced emotions were a lot for her to handle at the moment, so he lowered them both to the floor, leaning against the wall and pulled her onto his lap.

There were mutterings all around the hall; ‘did she say husband?’, ‘they’re married?’, ‘what was that all about?’ The noise levels continued to rise as everyone tried to work out what had just witnessed.

“SILENCE.” Dumbledore yelled over the noise and peace fell in the room again as all eyes turned to the headmaster; all except Draco’s, as she was still sobbing into Harry’s shirt. The old man obviously met Harry’s eyes across the room in question, to which Harry nodded.

“As I am sure many of you have now figured out, Harry and Draco are married. They have actually been married since August and simply wished to allow people time to adjust to their relationship before they went public with their marriage.” Dumbledore held up his hands for silence when the mutterings started again. “Clearly this was not how they had intended to announce their marriage so I ask that you respect their decision to be together and their rights to privacy.”

Harry swept his wife up into his arms, her head leaning against his chest and headed towards the doors; Hermione and Ron wasted no time at all grabbing all four of their book bags and following.

-#-

Once inside the safety of Draco’s room, Harry put her down on the couch and placed a hand gently on the side of her face to make her look at him.

“Are you okay?” Hermione asked as she and Ron came into the room after them.

“Yeah, was mostly an act; my emotions just kind of got away from me.” Draco told them,

“An act?” Ron was clearly frustrated at being out of the loop again.

“Yeah, we needed a plausible reason why we would go public with our marriage now.” Harry explained.

Hermione appeared to think for a few moments before giving an impressed half smile to them both.

Harry took a seat on the couch next to his wife and pulled her to his side.  “I was serious about you not flying by the way...”

Draco leaned back to give him a horrified look.

“It wouldn’t be safe for the baby.” He explained quickly and was amazed how quickly her expression went from anger to concern.

“Harry’s right, Draco, no flying for a while.” Hermione told the young Slytherin with an apologetic look.

“Yeah, okay, I promise, no flying.” She agreed, though her voice was sulky.

Hermione and Ron took seats on the other couch and they all just enjoyed a few moments peace to take in the day events, it was not a day they would be forgetting quickly.

“So, do you have a ring then Draco?” Hermione asked, sure that they would have needed one for the ceremony but curious as to when or where Harry would have managed to get one.

“Oh, I don’t have to hide it now.” Draco undid the disillusionment charms that had been cast on it and held her hand out so that Hermione could see.

“It was my Mother’s, I have my father's.” Harry explained, showing them the simple gold band on his own hand as he removed the charm hiding it from view “Dumbledore found them for us.”

Hermione moved over to the other sofa so she could see, she gently held Draco’s fingers to get a good look and a smile crept onto her features. “It is really beautiful, and the gold and silver contrast is kind of perfect for you two.”

-#-

It had been several weeks since their wedding and the day when they had announced to the hall that they were married and people seemed to still find Draco being Mrs Potter amusing. Draco however loved it, glad to once again have a name and a family. The Gryffindors seemed to mostly be of the opinion that she had now married into their house and were therefore more welcoming than ever.

Halloween was that evening and Draco was trying to talk Harry into attending the feast. He always felt somewhat down on Halloween given that it was the anniversary of his parent’s death and that the day never seemed to exactly go as planned. There was the Troll, in his first year, the death day party, in his second, the break in of a suspected murder in his third and last year everyone had been too caught up in the champion selection process to really enjoy the feast.

“Come on Harry, will be fun, would you rather go sit in the kitchens or our room by yourself?” Draco asked.

Dumbledore had now consented to Harry moving into Draco’s room, figuring that they couldn’t get into any more trouble and Draco would need as much support from Harry as possible.

“Mr and Mrs Potter,” Harry and Draco looked up, blushes on both of their faces, as the rest of the class giggled quietly around them.  “There is no excuse for talking whilst I am talking.” Snape snapped.

“Sorry, Sir.” They apologised together.

Snape turned around and began talking about the last few steps in the brewing of the potion they would be doing next lesson. Harry rested his chin on his arms, which he had folded on the desk.

Draco however picked up her quill and scribbled a couple of notes that they would need to make sure they managed to complete the potion; she didn’t even notice that she had her other hand on her belly, Pansy however did.

“Ouch.” Blaise glared at the girl sitting next to him and mumbled under his breath, “What the hell, Parkinson?”

“Look at Mrs Draco Potter.” She whispered back.

“For crying out loud Pansy, she is a girl now and a married one at that; you HAVE to let go of this Draco obsession of yours.” He didn’t even look up from his note taking as he spoke, still keeping his voice as quiet as possible.

“No, I am serious Blaise; look at where Draco’s other hand is.”

He groaned again, he so didn’t want to see Draco feeling up her husband, Saint Potter, in the middle of potions.

“I think she might be pregnant.” Pansy whispered when she realised that Blaise had no intention of actually looking.

“What?” Blaise exclaimed slightly louder than intended, wincing as Professor Snape turned to glare at him.

“Mr Zabini, Silence.”

“Sorry, Sir.” He mumbled but turned his gaze towards where Draco was sitting, but the petite blonde girl was sitting watching him like the rest of the class now was. He would have to ask Pansy what she had seen later, though he was quite sure that she was just delusional.

-#-

Harry was frowning at his plate of food during the feast and Draco had decided to be glad her husband had agreed to attend at all, asking for him to be in a good mood as well might be asking too much. Hermione however seemed to disagree as she nudged Harry gently in the ribs again.

"What are you in such a grump about?" the brunette mumbled under her breath.

"Sorry..." Harry looked up and gave both Hermione and Draco a small smile, "just feel like I am waiting for something bad to happen."

"Maybe this year will be different." Ron suggested as he tried to swallow his mouthful of mashed potatoes.

The girls gave him slightly disgusted looked but Harry couldn't help the small smile on his face. It didn't last long when he saw several very official looking men enter the hall, looking around until they spotted him.

"Damn, I knew something would have to ruin today." Harry mumbled, causing all those around him to take notice of those who had entered the hall and were now making their way across the hall towards them.

"My name is Mr Doyle, I am here to perform an enquiry into the marriage of Mr and Mrs Harry and Draco Potter, would both please come with me as I need to ask a couple of questions." The man looked far too serious for Harry's liking, the kind of man who would take serious offence to ink blots on forms. He was neither a tall nor short man and generally was the kind of person you would fail to notice should you happen to walk past them; his hair was an uninteresting tone of brown and appeared as if smiling was not a concept he had ever been introduced to.

"Mr Doyle, we can talk in my office." Dumbledore had apparently come to join them from the teachers table as soon as he realised what was going on. "Harry, Draco, If you would accompany us."

Sharing a couple of nervous glances with Ron and Hermione, the young couple got to their feet and followed Dumbledore, Mr Doyle and the other two gentlemen who had come with him, out of the hall. As the doors shut behind them they could clearly hear that everyone had started talking again, all at once, and Harry couldn't help but sigh at the thought that he and Draco were once again going to be the talk of the school.

-#-

"So Mr Doyle, you said you had a couple of questions you wanted to ask Harry and Draco?" Dumbledore prompted once they were all comfortably seated in his office.

"Yes, see the ministry is required to do some basic checks into all marriages between anyone under the age of seventeen, to ensure that all is in proper order and the marriage can be considered valid. Why was the ministry not informed of your marriage when it initially occurred back in August?" Mr Doyle droned.

"Ah, I think actually it is best I answer that one." Dumbledore answered jovially. "See it was I who performed the marriage and suggested that given the somewhat more sudden nature of their intentions to marry that it would be best to allow time for people to adjust to their relationship."

Mr Doyle simply nodded and scribbled a few notes and didn't look up when he spoke again. "There was very limited parental consent submitted with the marriage certificates and forms, I assume there is a reason for this."

"As you are aware Harry is an orphan, though full parental consent forms were submitted by his godfather and Draco was disowned and therefore legally has no guardians but the forms submitted by myself should suffice for your needs." Dumbledore answered again, still smiling softly at all the rooms occupants.

"Very well." More scribbled notes were added before he turned to look at Harry and Draco, who were holding hands and trying their very best not to look nervous. "So Harry, why did you ask Draco to marry you so suddenly?"

"Because I love her." Harry didn't even miss a beat as he stated it, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And I knew how much she wanted a family, I wanted with all my heart to be that family; I sure as hell wasn't about to wait around for someone else to beat me to it."

Draco was smiling gently at him while Mr Doyle once again put quill to parchment and scribbled another note, apparently completely unaffected by the emotional intensity of Harry's words.

"And you Draco, why did you agree to being married so young?" Mr Doyle looked up.

"Well like Harry and Dumbledore said, I was disowned, I lost everything I ever knew, I wanted a family. I love Harry very much and he is that family to me now, that is the most precious thing to me." Draco felt Harry squeeze her hand and turned to give him a smile, this was much easier than she had thought it would be.

"Very well, everything seems to be in order. Congratulations Mr and Mrs Potter, hope you have a very happy life together." Mr Doyle had clearly been prompted to finish such interviews with this line, given the complete lack of any emotion he actually said it with and he and his colleagues didn't wait to be shown out.

 "Will you be returning to the feast?" Dumbledore asked once the door closed.

The teens both turned to look at him, easy smiles on both their faces and the same question in both their eyes.

"Yes, I believe the ministry bought that you were married in August, you both did well, though that does not surprise me as I suspect that you were both simply talking from the heart." He gave them his trademark knowing grandfather look which made them both blush something fierce. "So would you like to return to the feast?" He asked them again.

Harry gave Draco a small smile and nodded, knowing how much his wife had been looking forward to the celebration but she leaned towards him slightly and pressed a finger against his lips before turning to the Headmaster. "Actually sir I think I will take my husband back to our rooms, I think some time alone would do us good after all this."

Dumbledore smiled all too knowingly for Harry's liking but he was not about to protest to an evening alone with his beautiful blonde.

-#-

Pansy glared at the old man as he returned without Harry and Draco, his smile, as he sat back into his seat at the teachers table, just annoyed her for some reason.

"Well, I guess either Draco is either spreading her legs like a good dutiful wife or the ministry has arrested them both." Blaise mumbled to her with a smirk. "I am guessing that it is the former given I doubt our dear Headmaster would look quite so amused about the latter. That said that he is that amused by the former is somewhat creepy."

Daphne Greengrass nearly choked on her juice at the implication of his words but Pansy simply turned to glare at him.

"Oh come off it Pansy, you really think Gryffindor's golden boy is really going to have knocked someone up at fifteen, even if it is his wife." Blaise sighed, she had told him about Draco's hand on her stomach in class and had refused to listen when he had suggested multiple reasons why she could have had it there, including no reason at all or a stomach ache.

"Well something is going on; I know Draco is different now but I still find it difficult to believe they would just get married like that, I am sure there must have been something that would make them take that step." She was talking mostly to herself, knowing Blaise wasn't going to believe her theory till the day Draco walked into the great hall with a protruding belly, ready to burst.

"Oh and it couldn't possibly be that Draco was disowned, left without even a name?" Blaise threw back sarcastically.

"Yeah, maybe...." Pansy replied but she was clearly no longer listening as she frowned at her food.

-#-

"You would have said yes even if I have asked you before you were pregnant, wouldn't you?" Harry asked Draco, as he pulled her down onto his lap once they got back to their room.

Draco chuckled as she curled up on his lap. "Yes, I think I probably would have. I hadn't really thought about it until we were in Dumbledore's office and had to explain why without mentioning the baby, but..."

"It was just easy to tell the truth." Harry finished and Draco nodded her agreement.

"I love you." Draco said as she leaned back slightly to look up at her husband.

"I love you too. Now, shall we make good use of this evening we have all to ourselves?" The salacious implications of his words making Draco smirk knowingly.

"Well, Mr Potter, I suppose, just this once, I will allow you to have your way with me."

"Oh really? How very kind of you, Mrs Potter." They were both grinning as Harry easily picked up the petite blonde and moved them into the bedroom.


	9. Life Goes On

_Previously: _

_"I love you too. Now, shall we make good use of this evening we have all to ourselves?" The salacious implications of his words making Draco smirk knowingly._

_"Well, Mr Potter, I suppose, just this once, I will allow you to have your way with me."_

_"Oh really? How very kind of you, Mrs Potter." They were both grinning as Harry easily picked up the petite blonde and moved them into the bedroom._

-#-

School was keeping everyone busy and with snow now falling upon the Hogwarts grounds, as mid November rolled around, both Harry and Ron found themselves dreading the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw.

It was late when Harry returned from yet another practice and he was about to start complaining about how it was definitely too cold for flying when he caught the look Draco was giving him.

"I am guessing that me complaining about the weather conditions would not go down well right now?"

"That would be a good guess; do you know what I wouldn't give to be able to go flying no matter how many degrees below zero it is but I can't, I won't be able to for at least another seven months." Draco's glare didn't ease off at all and Harry found himself playing with his hands nervously. "Besides the cold would probably be nice compared to these infuriating hot flushes I have been having all day."

"Okay, yes that's partly my fault, guilty husband present and accounted for." He held up has hands in surrender. "How about we figure out what we want to do for our first Christmas together, or something, instead?"

Draco rolled her eyes at him but closed the book in her lap and put it on the table, indicating that he was now permitted to sit with her.

"Bad day?" He asked as he sat on the sofa next to her and tucked a lock of her perfectly straight blonde hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, morning sickness came back again, hot flushes, like I said and I have just been feeling all girly and emotional all day. Why do I have to get all the worst symptoms?" Draco was looking like she might cry again.

"Hermione has a theory that it is a lot to do with the accident, something about how completely different these hormone levels are compared to when you were a guy making everything even worse."

"Well isn't that just my luck." She sighed.

"You do have some luck though, that one of my best friends happens to be even more of a book worm than you, Love. Hermione has of course been reading every book on pregnancy she has been able to get her hands on since the day we found out; and I suspect before then even."

"Before? Does this have something to do with how you found the time to let Hermione in on everything, between us finding out I was pregnant and us getting married?" Draco raised an eyebrow in suspicion having forgotten about her intentions to ask about that before.

"Oh, yeah, apparently Hermione had had her concerns about this pretty much since the beginning of term."

Draco's eyebrows raised in shock and confusion.

"Yeah, I know, sometimes I swear she is able to see the future and just holding out on us. Anyways, she apparently was concerned that between the bad parenting we both received and us both being raised as guys we wouldn't think to be careful." Harry smiled ruefully.

"And she didn't think it would be wise to warn us of this prediction of hers?" Draco looked like she was stuck between amused and annoyance.

"Well apparently she sort of did, in her own way, I just wasn't very good at listening to her." Harry paused for a moment. "Sorry."

Draco laughed, "Oh Harry, Love, Hermione should really have learnt by now that if she wants you to understand something she is trying to tell you, she is literally going to have to spell it out for you." Draco leaned over to give him a kiss.

"Well anyways, when I ran off to go and speak with Dumbledore that night, Hermione had already come looking for me because it was after curfew; I explained everything to her and it was her who had already looked up how we might be able to keep our baby."

"So are you going to tell me what wonderful secrets Hermione's obsessive reading habits have uncovered that are either going to help me deal with pregnancy symptoms, my desperate longing to fly or my unpredictable emotions?"

"We need to get you some green tea or ginger tea, and some ginger biscuits and crackers." Harry was grinning at the sceptical look on Draco's face. "They will help with the nausea and hopefully help reduce the morning sickness and if they don't work we will have to get you a potion to help, apparently there are a couple of options."

"So now you start listening to Hermione?" Draco laughed.

"Well I feel bad enough for hurting you like this by not listening to her once, if my actually paying attention can help make this easier on you then I am going to do it." Harry looked so sincere that Draco's heart fluttered and she couldn't help it when a small tear fell.

"You haven't hurt me Harry, not really; I know this was definitely not what we planned or would have chosen but it is what it is, I have an amazing husband and a child on the way who will be very much loved by both his or her parents. I am not hurting, Love." Draco paused for a moment to think at the disbelieving expression on Harry's face.

"Okay, well yes," She conceded, "the throwing up and emotional craziness hurts, but just keep trying to help me with those and we will be just fine. Oh plus if giving birth hurts as much as I think it is going to then you are going to spend the rest of your life making this up to me."

"Whatever I can do to help, Draco." Harry chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose.

"So what did you have in mind for Christmas?" Draco asked after a few minutes.

"Well normally I would either stay here or go to the Weasley's..." Harry looked down at the floor, "but I am happy to go with whatever you want to do. That said, it would mean a lot to me if you would agree to spend it with them, they are the closest thing I have to a family other than you and..."

Draco gently punched his arm, "You are such an idiot, of course we will spend it with them if it means that much to you."

Harry looked up hopefully. "But I thought you said you didn't feel like you would be welcome there..."

"Oh Harry, I do love you, but you are incredibly hopeless. When I refused to go to their home over the summer, I had only just become your girlfriend and none of them even knew about that. I am your wife now, your pregnant wife at that, there is no question that I belong where you are."

Harry smiled softly and then smirked slightly, "For someone who was a guy for the first fifteen years of their life you sure do seem to think like a girl sometimes."

Draco rolled her eyes, "You mean actually using my brain. Talking of which I have homework I have to do and so do you." Laughing when this just made her husband mumble something about slave drivers under his breath.

-#-

It was late and Harry knew he should probably sleep but he was far to content watching his wife as she slept to want to. He was sitting on their bed, back against the headboard, Draco's petite body curled against him; her head against his hip, her small fingers fisted around some of the fabric on his Pyjama trousers.

He brushed her hair away from her face and tried to take in all of her features; she still had the slender slightly pointed look of the Malfoy's but he was sure she had never looked that vulnerable and trusting when she was a boy; Draco was different now, she had no use for the defences her father had taught her now that she was a Potter and Harry found himself glad that she was letting herself be vulnerable, even if it was only with him.

"You know you watching me sleep is slightly creepy, Love." Draco mumbled without moving or opening her eyes.

Harry chuckled, "Sorry. Was just thinking too hard."

Draco rolled onto her back and smiled up at him, "What about?"

"About how weird this should feel, you and me; you can't say you saw it coming. It doesn't though, I keep waiting for it to feel weird and it just doesn't." Harry smirked slightly.

"Well granted this was not the life I thought I would have, I was going to marry some pureblood witch of my father's choosing and provide an heir." Draco's face was twisted in clear distaste at that idea.

"Draco....?" Harry asked after a few moments.

"Yes, I am much happier with you, Love." She told him, leaning up to kiss him.

"Good, but that wasn't what I was going to ask." Harry bit his lip in thought, to which Draco raised a thin eyebrow in question.

"Did you like me... you know... before?" Harry's voice was quiet and thoughtful, like he was trying to get his head around something.

Draco felt her cheeks become flushed and was glad for the dim light in their room. "I... well like I said before, I always knew I was going to marry some pureblood witch so I tried not to think about it, but I knew... I knew I preferred men and... well... I guess I wasn't oblivious to the fact that you look like you do." She bit her lip and ran a hand over his chest, avoiding looking directly at him.

"It's okay, Draco." Harry ran his fingers through her hair and with a wink added "Turns out your preference for men worked out in our favour, besides there was always something between us, some kind of intensity. Though I definitely prefer what we have now to our corridor insults."

That made her laugh, "Yeah, you're right though, if someone had suggested that you would knock me up and we would be married... well I probably would have cursed them to be honest."

Harry actually looked guilty, "I probably would have too, it wasn't exactly part of my life plan."

Draco sighed and swung herself up to sit on his lap, straddling him. "Stop feeling guilty already." She leaned into a powerful kiss. "This was not something you did to me, this is something we did together; fifty percent your fault, which means that the other fifty percent my fault."

It took a few seconds but when Harry looked like he was about to speak Draco just pressed a single finger to his lips and gave him her best 'shut-up' look.

"I am not just some fragile little girl who was seduced and now needs her big strong hero to protect her; we are in this together, equal partners, equal responsibility, understand?" Draco told him with a glare.

Nodding,  Harry kissed the beautiful blonde that was still straddling his legs, one hand on her back, another in her hair, holding them against each other.

Pulling back, Draco smirked as Harry yawned widely. Without words they lay down facing each other, Draco automatically curling against him, her head tucked under his chin, both falling asleep quickly.

-#-

The weeks passed quickly and the Potters were relieved they had so far managed to keep the pregnancy a secret from the general population of the school despite Draco's persistent morning sickness. Harry was making sure to keep a good supply of ginger tea and salted crackers in their room and there was always a pack of ginger biscuits in the bottom of Draco's book bag; these seemed to help even if they didn't make the problem go away.

Draco and Hermione had returned to the Gryffindor common room one afternoon very red in the face and flustered after a rather embarrassing conversation in the girls dormitory where they owl ordered her several new bras as the ones Draco had were no longer comfortable. Harry had had the good sense to not ask as they settled down to tackle a particularly troublesome Charms essay and hit Ron on the back of the head quickly when he looked like he was about to voice some very unwelcome questions.

The weather was cold now and snow lay on the ground, sharp winds meaning that many students had taken to wearing scarves between classes, Draco included as she seemed to get much colder than she ever used to and delighted in making Harry hand over whatever cloak he was wearing when she started shivering. So much so that by the beginning of December Harry had taken to keeping a second cloak in his book bag at all times.

The weekend of the Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor quidditch match was clear skied and while the ground was still covered in snow, no more fell. It was sunny and for once this was not a good thing; the white blanket which covered the ground reflected the light and Harry was cursing when two hours in he hadn't seen even a tiny glimpse of the snitch.

After a long tiring match lasting just shy of four hours Harry had managed to spot a golden glimmer hovering in front of a Blue Ravenclaw banner and made easy work of snatching it from the sky before the opposing seeker, Cho Chang, could even put up a fight; winning the match with a score of 380 to 190. Flying over to where Draco was sat applauding and cheering between Ron and Hermione wearing both a Gryffindor and a Slytherin scarf, Harry thoroughly  embarrassed his wife by gifting her the small struggling snitch in front of the whole school before leaning down for a kiss.

-#-

"Urgh." Pansy looked truly annoyed at the public display of affection that Potter was showing his wife and Blaise couldn't help but snort in amusement when she turned slightly green at the sight of Draco leaning up to return the kiss.

"I really don't know why it annoys you so much." He mumbled in her ear to ensure she heard him over the cheering and applause and loud wolf whistles that most of the school were making.

"No, I just find the sight of so many happy Gryffindors nothing shy of repulsive." She sneered getting up from her seat, pushing several small first and second years out of the way as she practically stormed from the Pitch seating. "Most of all Potter; I can't help but think that Draco marrying him is a waste of a perfectly good pureblood."

Blaise rolled his eyes as he followed more sedately a few paces behind, he actually thought it was almost cute; he remembered fondly how gentle and kind hearted Draco had been when they were young children. It had always bothered him how Mr Malfoy had taught his son to be cold and arrogant; of course they remained friends but were never able to be as close as they had once been.

Blaise couldn't help but wonder if it was Potter's influence or the fresh start away from the Malfoys which had enabled Draco to become so carefree once again, perhaps it was a combination of both; but either way he was seriously considering attempting to at least speak to his lifelong friend, despite Pansy's apparent distaste for the blonde.

-#-

"Draco."

She was walking through the entrance hall with Harry and Ron when she heard a voice she recognised as Blaise call her name. She didn't let go of Harry's hand as all four of them turned to face the tall dark-skinned Slytherin who was approaching.

"What do you want Blaise?" Draco snapped, feeling most definitely not in the mood to be insulted.

Draco was standing just in front of Harry and when Blaise continued to approach them without speaking Harry reached an arm around Draco and pulled her against him.

"I just want to talk; we used to be friends once." Blaise told them, as he stopped a few feet from where they stood.

"I am not who I used to be Blaise, I assumed your friendship was lost along with everything else I had taken from me. You never gave any indication otherwise." Draco sneered at him and leaned back against Harry, just needing to know he would be her rock if this all went sideways.

"I.... Sorry, everything was weird, Draco," Blaise frowned, "I know you aren't going to just trust me again or anything of the like, but I just want you to know that it is really good to see you happy and carefree again; you honestly seem happier than I have seen you since you were about nine, I just wanted you to know that I am happy for you."

Without waiting for a response Blaise disappeared down one of the nearby corridors leaving a very confused Draco with three very stunned Gryffindors.

"Are you okay, Draco?" Hermione asked a minute or so later, causing the blonde to turn to face them as if suddenly remembering they were there.

"I think so, just...." Draco didn't seem to know quite what to think, didn't Blaise think her a failure like all the other Slytherins? She had failed her former family, she had shown so much weakness, yet Blaise had said he was happy for her. Blaise had been able to recognise how much more joy she was finding in life now and it had sounded like he approved of it.

"Well that was actually almost... nice." Harry commented when it was clear Draco wasn't going to be able to finish her sentence.  "I take it you two were close once?"

"Yeah, really close once... oh not like that." Draco added with a slap to Harry's arm when she saw him raise an eyebrow. "We used to play together when we were kids, but I guess we drifted apart somewhat when we got older... when my father began teaching me how to be a true Malfoy now I think about it." Draco clearly had a lot going on in her mind and seemed to be speaking mostly to herself.

"Hmm... well maybe if it was the Malfoy mask that pushed you two apart then there might be hope for him yet." Harry suggested with a shrug.

"Maybe...." Draco said, sliding her hand into Harry's as they moved off up the stairs.

-#-

Draco was surprised how quickly the end of term seemed to come around and couldn't stop smiling as she settled into a seat on the Hogwarts Express between Harry and Hermione.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Ron asked with suspicion as he sat down opposite them.

"I am just really looking forward to Christmas." Draco told him with a grin.

Harry laughed, "Draco, Love, I never thought I would see the day when you would actually be excited about spending a full day in a house full of Weasleys."

Draco crinkled her nose at the thought. "Well if you put it like that... I guess it must be that I have gotten used to some of the Weasleys being around now anyway." Which made Ron smile.

Leaning over she whispered in Harry's ear, loud enough still for all of them to hear "I am far more excited about us having our first  Christmas together and doing all sorts of naughty things to celebrate." Making Ron nearly choke on the pumpkin pasty he had just taken a bite from and Hermione giggle.

"Please..." He managed to say around his mouthful of food before swallowing as best he could, "I really do not ever need to hear about what you two get up to in private."

-#-

"Harry, Draco." Sirius threw his arms around first Harry then the small blonde.

"Air... too tight." Draco exclaimed as she struggled to free herself.

"Sirius, if you could refrain from suffocating my wife, I would be most grateful." Harry told him as he pulled the strong arms off of her.

"Sorry, just missed you both. That house is definitely too big for one man to live in alone." Sirius told them.

"Well I do keep inviting you over for dinner Sirius but if you will insist on sulking alone instead." Mrs Weasley declared as she came over with her family. "Harry dear, you look so well" She pulled him into a bone crushing hug "and how are you doing dear?" She asked as she hugged Draco gently.

"I'm okay, Mrs Weasley, thank you and thank you for letting us join you for Christmas." Draco spoke politely.

"Nonsense Draco, Harry is family, therefore you are family, we wouldn't have it any other way. Now if you can just make sure your godfather comes with you and doesn't sit sulking at home, Harry, we will be all set."

"I don't sulk." Sirius looked quite offended and everyone laughed when he pouted in a way which could only be interpreted as sulking.

With many hugs and goodbyes, Hermione left with her family, promising to send presents and see them all in the new years. The Weasley's left soon after once Sirius had assured Molly that he had every intention of joining them at the burrow and was planning to write to Remus Lupin to request his attendance too.

 


	10. Nothing Stays A Secret Forever

_Previously: _

_With many hugs and goodbyes, Hermione left with her family, promising to send presents and see them all in the new years. The Weasley's left soon after once Sirius had assured Molly that he had every intention of joining them at the burrow and was planning to write to Remus Lupin to request his attendance too._

-#-

It was wonderful being back home in Grimmauld place and both Potters found themselves surprised how quickly they had come to think of the place as such. They moved Draco's few belongings from her room to Harry's room on the floor below; choosing it because of its larger size, much more luxurious en-suite and the room next to it which Draco had set her heart on becoming a nursery.

Sirius had of course protested them moving into one room, however when Draco started to cry and then Harry began to berate him about upsetting his wife, he had given in quickly, consoling himself that they couldn't exactly get into any further trouble by sharing a room.

They had all settled into an easy routine eating meals together, spending evenings reading and talking in the front room; it was peaceful and both Harry and Draco made quick work of the homework they had been set.

Christmas day rolled around and the three of them floo-ed to the Burrow at 8.30am to join the Weasleys for breakfast; Remus had written back telling them he wouldn't be joining them as he was still abroad trying to find work and was off into the mountains to talk with a tribe who had apparently created some interesting potions to help with Lycanthropy.

Sirius had sulked about that for a while and had only not written back to explain everything that had been going on with Harry because his godson had begged him, insisting it was a conversation best had in person. Sirius had conceded the point and didn't really want to stop Remus from going into the mountains if it really might get him some answers.

"Come in, come in." Mrs Weasley took both Harry and Draco by the hand and led them both to the large kitchen table, sitting them down next to the twins and putting plates of eggs, sausages, beans and toast in front of them.

Sirius took a seat further down the table next to Mr Weasley and everyone was greeting the three of them warmly. Draco smiled at the ease with which they accepted them amongst their family; Ron, Harry and the twins joked easily with each other; Bill and Charlie were soon in deep conversation about odd goblin festive traditions with Sirius and their father, Percy listening in carefully looking as though he felt he should be taking notes and Mrs Weasley took great joy in making sure she was filling peoples plates faster than they could clear them.

It was only Ginny who didn't look completely comfortable with his presence there and whenever he looked in her direction she would narrow her eyes slightly as she pointedly looked away. Draco had noticed this behaviour at school once or twice before early on in the term but assumed she had moved passed whatever had been bothering her. Now Draco found herself wondering if she had just been too busy to notice those looks in more recent weeks and decided that she would make a point to talk to the youngest Weasley child when she got a chance.

-#-

Draco was not sure she had ever laughed so much in a single day before and by the time Mrs Weasley put a huge Christmas pudding and a mountain of mince pies on the table, she was quite sure she would literally explode if she ate another bite.

"Did you have fun today?" Harry asked, as he came up behind his wife.

She was stood looking out the kitchen window at the falling snow as the evening was drawing to a close and he wrapped his arms around her, loving her warmth against him.

She hummed in contentment, "It was wonderful, I only dreamed that a real family Christmas could be this..." She waved her arms to indicate everything around them.

Harry chuckled deeply and kissed her temple, "Well I will do my best to make sure that every Christmas is like this one then, Love."

"Harry....?"

"Yes, Draco."

"Why doesn't Ginny like me? I mean, everyone else seems to have accepted me but she gives me these looks sometimes." Draco asked quietly.

"Really?" Harry thought for a few minutes. "I can't say I have noticed, but I will ask her about it if you like."

"No, it's okay, not today anyway. It can wait."

"KISS, KISS, KISS" came a chant from the door way to the living room.

The young couple turned to see the twins pointing to above their heads where they had levitated a small sprig of mistletoe. Harry rolled his eyes and sharing a smirk with Draco, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with all the passion he could muster; earning a round of whooping from the Weasley boys. Draco jumped up, wrapping her legs around him, her arms around his neck, as his hands moved to cup her arse so she was held against him.

"Oh... are you kidding me?!" came Ron's annoyed voice from near the twins, "I so did not want to see that."

This had the whole family laughing as the youngest Weasley son turned around and walked back the way he had just come, shaking his head.

-#-

Sirius was definitely not looking forward to seeing his two young wards return to school the next day, he had loved having them around for the last couple of weeks and the new years eve they had had with just the three of them was one of the best he could remember. The house was simply too empty without them but he knew they had to return and complete their education, and his not wanting them to leave was incredibly selfish.

He had not said anything to either of them but his sour mood had made it rather obvious none the less. They had finished packing quickly given they had only brought the essentials back with them and sat down for their evening meal in a rather morose silence.

"Come on Sirius, this is crazy, how are we supposed to leave you here alone when you are already this depressed and we haven't even left yet." Harry snapped slightly.

"I will be fine, Harry." Sirius droned

Draco gave Harry a pointed look that said that she wasn't buying it either.

"Will you at least promise to find something to keep yourself occupied, you are a free man again, that means you can go out and see the world. And no more turning down Mrs Weasley's dinner invitations. Okay?" Harry told him sternly

Sirius glared at him but with a roll of his eyes consented. "Yeah, yeah, okay, I will try."

"Thank you, Sirius, we will just worry about you otherwise." Draco told him with a small smile.

"The last person you better be worrying about is me, young lady." Sirius insisted.

"Well do as Harry told you and then I won't have to." She smirked and returned to eating her bowl of stew.

"Sometimes I forget your wife is a Slytherin, Harry." Sirius mumbled, earning matching grins from Harry and Draco.

-#-

"These holidays have so gone too quickly, can't believe we are back again already." Ron grumbled as they sat in one of the thestral pulled carriages.

"So you haven't missed me at all then?" Hermione asked sweetly.

Seamus, Dean, Harry and Draco were all struggling to hold back laughs when Ron began stumbling over his words.

Draco groaned slightly as the rocking of the carriage was making her feel a bit nauseous and she had been having hot flushes and muscle aches all day. Harry tilted her head onto his shoulder and gently massaged her lower back.

"Thanks." She whispered to him, making him smile.

The others were used to these small interactions between the pair by now and said nothing and soon they reached the castle. Hermione climbed out quickly followed by Seamus and Dean, heading quickly into the entrance hall as it was snowing again.

Harry held out a hand to help Draco down, she had to jump slightly due to her petite height, and Ron had a definite put out look when he followed them, presumably from the mocking remark Hermione had made.

"Oh cheer up, Ron, she was just teasing." Draco told him with an elbow to a ribs.

"Yeah, just think about the big welcome back feast that is waiting inside the great hall." Harry was wearing a big grin, which Ron returned at the prospect.

-#-

Blaise gave Draco a smile as she came into the great hall walking between Potter and Weasley, the three of them laughing at something. The petite girl caught his eye and gave a small smile in return.

"What you smiling at?" Pansy asked moodily as she sat down next to him.

"Oh, nothing, don't worry about it, just looking forward to this feast." Blaise dismissed his heart still warmed slightly with the thought that the friend he thought was lost to him had actually smiled back.

"It is one thing for Draco to be married to Potter, but now she is laughing and talking with Weasley and Granger like they are friends." Pansy grimaced at where Draco was sat at the Gryffindor table, leaning against her husband and smiling easily, happiness written all over her face.

"You really need to let it go, Pansy. Draco is happy, just leave them be." Blaise just sounded frustrated with her. "If you don't people will start to think you are jealous, though whether of Harry or Draco would be up for debate."

"Oh, Shut up, Blaise." Pansy snapped.

-#-

It was a few weeks into term and Harry was at quidditch practice one Saturday, leaving Draco under the watchful eyes of his two best friends.

"It is kind of freaking me out you watching me eat, Ronald." Draco told the red head in the seat next to her, without looking up from the sandwich she was eating.

Hermione snorted her amusement from her other side.

"I am sure that Harry told you that there would be hell to pay if anything happened to me, but honestly we are just having lunch, I am fairly sure I will survive." Draco looked up with a soft smile.

Ron rolled his eyes but did turn his attention to his own lunch. Draco sighed and put her sandwich down; nausea, just great, stupid morning sickness. She got to her feet and mumbled that she was just going to the bathroom to Ron and Hermione, who looked concerned but nodded none the less.

The blonde walked along the table towards the large doors when she realised just how dizzy she was becoming, everything feeling like it was shifting under her feet and her stomach churning. She tried to cry out for help but her head was spinning and she had just a split second to mentally panic about falling before she felt her legs give out.

-#-

Blaise was once again desperately trying to ignore Pansy's analysis of the week's pureblood politics and was starting to feel the beginning of a stress headache. Looking up he noticed Draco make excuses to Weasley and Granger and leave the Gryffindor table; he frowned and got up, intending to try to talk to her, he felt like they were on the verge of being able to salvage some semblance of a friendship.

He rolled his eyes at Pansy's squawking protests and didn't even turn around when she indignantly called out his name. He had just reached the end of the Slytherin table when he noticed that Draco didn't look well, glancing at her two appointed guardians they too seemed to have noticed that the petite blonde was looking rather unsteady on her feet.

He picked up his pace without even thinking and managed to reach her and fall to his knees just in time to catch her mid-fall.

"Draco..." He exclaimed, looking down at the girl who had narrowly missed hitting the floor hard, she was unconscious and Blaise found himself painfully aware of just how small and frail she seemed in his arms.

"Thank you." Granger breathed in what sounded like relief.

"Come on, Draco, wake up." Weasley brushed the hair from her face and gently shook her; the affection they were both showing her made him jealous that they were in her life, but glad that she was at least being cared for.

"She should see Madam Pomfrey." Dumbledore had apparently made his way over to where they were gathered, the whole hall watching in silence.

Nodding Blaise stood up, Draco still in his arms.

"You're not taking her anywhere Zabini, she is my best friend's wife, pass her here." Weasley growled.

"Draco was my best friend since we were two years old, I will carry her, but you are more than welcome to come with us, both of you; I know she and Potter would both want you to stay with her." Blaise told them as calmly as he could manage with Draco still unconscious in his arms.

"Mr Finnigan, Mr Thomas, would you be so kind as to fetch Mr Potter, I believe you will find him out on the Quidditch pitch, please send him in the direction of the medical wing." Dumbledore called to where they were standing at the end of the Gryffindor table and both ran off into the castle grounds as quickly as they could manage.

They made their way quickly through the school, Dumbledore having ordered the other teachers to keep the rest of the students in the great hall to stop everyone following.

"Madam Pomfrey."Weasley called out as he had run ahead to forewarn the healer.

"Mr Weasley, no yelling, this is a place of healing." She snapped as she looked up from her desk at the far end of the room.

"It's Draco, she collapsed in the great hall."

That got the healers attention and she jumped up from her seat just as the others reached the wing.

"What is it with Potters and my medical wing." Madam Pomfrey mumbled with a roll of her eyes as she indicated that Blaise should lay Draco on one of the beds.

-#-

Draco started to opened her eyes carefully but closed them again when the whiteness of the room hurt her head. She could hear the school healer quietly muttering spells as she tried to remember what happened; she had been in the great hall and... oh... she had collapsed.

"Is she going to be okay?"

That sounded a lot like Blaise, why would he be there? Though it did register how concerned he sounded.

"Well it would seem she has at least regained consciousness, isn't that right Mrs Potter?"

Draco groaned, "What happened?"

"You passed out, Draco." It sounded as though Hermione was right by the side of the bed.

"Just because you are a Potter now, young lady, doesn't mean you have to come visit me." Madam Pomfrey told her lightly, "Just doing a few spells to check you over... oh..." She exclaimed, causing all eyes to turn to her suddenly, including Draco's which flew open.

"What is it...? You know what happened?" Draco asked quietly, she was sure it was her pregnancy but knowing that Madam Pomfrey and Blaise had to believe that this was to be a new revelation.

"I think it best we wait for Mr Potter to get here..." The healer suggested.

"He has been sent for and I would imagine he will be here shortly." Dumbledore announced, making Draco aware of his presence for the first time.

"What is wrong with me?" Draco demanded sitting up slightly.

"Draco, maybe it is best we wait until Harry gets here..." Ron almost pleaded.

Madam Pomfrey cast another spell and Draco watched as a series of runes floated over her middle.

"No way...." Blaise gasped, looking at Draco with wide eyes and it was obvious he knew exactly what the runes meant.

"What. Is. Wrong. With. Me." Draco demanded, "I don't care if anyone here knows, I just want you to answer me."

"Mrs Potter... Draco." Madam Pomfrey sat down on the edge of the bed and gave her a slightly sad look. "Draco, you're pregnant."

The room was deathly silent and Draco found herself not having to fake her anxiety, her breathing was getting rapid and she felt slightly sick, now that Blaise knew it was only a matter of time till everyone knew.

"Draco?" Harry was standing in the doorway with Seamus and Dean behind him.

"Harry." Draco sat up properly as her husband came over to her.

"Did I just hear that right?" Harry asked as he sat down in the edge of the bed facing Draco, on the other side from the healer.

"How far along?" Draco asked Madam Pomfrey.

She looked nervously around at all the people in the room until Dumbledore nodded. "About nineteen weeks."

Harry grasped Draco's hand, "Draco, it's going to be okay, Love, we will figure this out."

"Be okay? Harry, I'm pregnant, as in a baby, how the hell is this going to be okay? Oh Merlin... They won't let us keep it will they?" Draco had tears on her face as she spoke their fears out loud.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head sadly "I would normally recommend an abortion at your age, but you are too far along." the healer told them.

Draco scrabbled to get away from her with a horrified expression on her face, climbing onto Harry's lap, clinging to him as if for dear life. "Please, Harry."

Holding her tight against him Harry glared at the healer, "No-one will be taking our child, Draco, I promise, Love. We will do whatever we have to."

"Draco, I promise you I will help in any way I can; I will not see a child taken from its parents." Dumbledore assured her.

"Maybe we should give you guys a minute." Hermione suggested when no-one wanted to speak.

Harry gave her a small smile as Draco nodded against his chest where she was still crying softly.

"Draco." Blaise spoke softly and the blonde looked up curiously. "I won't tell anyone, your secret is safe with me, okay."

She nodded her thanks and gave a weak smile, snuggling closer to Harry; watching as Blaise left, followed by Seamus, Dean, Hermione and Ron.

"I really need to do a scan and make sure everything is okay, Draco." Madam Pomfrey was stood a few feet from the other side of the bed watching them carefully. "I promise I will do nothing that could harm you or your child. I just want to make sure that both you and the baby are healthy, we may even be able to see the sex of the child if you would like."

"We will figure this out, but I really do think it would be best if you would let Madam Pomfrey check the baby." Dumbledore told them, placing a hand gently on Harry's shoulder and giving them a look over the top of his half moon spectacles.

Draco nodded her consent as she moved back onto the bed and lay down nervously, still grasping her husband's hand tightly. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, sitting on the bed next to the pillow.

The school healer waved her wand in a complex pattern, speaking a charm that they didn't recognise, and soon a grey image began to appear near Draco's abdomen which showed something even the inexperienced teens could recognise as a baby.

"Wow." Harry sighed.

"That's our baby, ours, we made that." Draco was just staring at the screen as, for the first time, it became so incredibly real that there was a small human life growing insider her.

"Do you want to know what sex it is?" Madam Pomfrey asked, when they had had a few minutes to try to take in what they were seeing. "You might want to consider this carefully, because despite Dumbledore's best efforts you may not be able to keep this child and..."

"We will keep our child, no-one will take it from us, I won't let them." Harry glared at the witch before looking back at Draco was nodding as she smiled up at him.

"Okay, well it looks like it's a boy and he is in excellent health from what I can tell. Congratulations to the both of you" Madam Pomfrey looked like she wanted to say a lot more but when she noticed the stern expression Dumbledore was wearing she held her tongue.

"I would really like to take Draco back to our rooms, this is clearly a lot to process." Harry looked pleadingly at the Headmaster, who nodded his consent despite the quiet protests the healer was spluttering out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There has been repeated confusion over this chapter, YES Harry, Draco, Ron, Hermione and Dumbledore are already aware of the pregnancy, BUT the others are NOT. THEREFORE, they are PRETENDING not to have known so that no-one can make accusations about their marriage being arranged after the conception.   
> I hope this clears up ANY confusion this chapter may have caused.


	11. And Now They All Know

_Previously: _

_"We will keep our child, no-one will take it from us, I won't let them." Harry glared at the witch before looking back at Draco was nodding as she smiled up at him._

_"Okay, well it looks like it's a boy and he is in excellent health from what I can tell. Congratulations to the both of you" Madam Pomfrey looked like she wanted to say a lot more but when she noticed the stern expression Dumbledore was wearing she held her tongue._

_"I would really like to take Draco back to our rooms, this is clearly a lot to process." Harry looked pleadingly at the Headmaster, who nodded his consent despite the quiet protests the healer was spluttering out._

-#-

Draco only fought against Harry, when he picked her up, for a few seconds before she gave in and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder; she was already asleep by the time they reached their rooms, Dumbledore with them knowing they needed to discuss a plan now that other people knew about the pregnancy.

Harry took a seat on their sofa, Draco curled up asleep on his lap, Dumbledore sitting in the chair next to him.

"Are you okay, Harry?"

"I think so, anxious and worried about Draco more than anything."

The old man smiled kindly at the young couple; hoping that he could help Harry keep the promises he had made to his wife, that he could convince the ministry to allow them to become parents despite their age. Hopefully that it was a son would help their case as he would be the Potter heir.

"It has to appear that we acted as soon as we were aware of the pregnancy which will have to be now given that Mr Finnigan, Mr Thomas, Mr Zabini and Madam Pomfrey are all aware. I will submit a request for a hearing with the ministry this evening. " He peered over his glasses at the boy in front of him.

Harry nodded his understanding, careful to not wake his wife.  He thought for a moment before asking quietly as he could manage without whispering. "What do you think our chances are? Honestly."

Dumbledore smiled, "With my backing and the child being a boy, I am fairly sure this will be okay. I promise you we will do everything in our power and if all else fails I will move you both to somewhere where they cannot find you."

Harry looked momentarily alarmed at the idea, not wanting either of them to live on the run with their child, like criminals.

"That is the worst case scenario and it is probably best you don't alarm Draco with that prospect until we are completely out of other options."

Still too mentally exhausted to speak, Harry once again nodded and huddled Draco closer to him, who mumbled in her sleep at the disturbance, grabbing a fist full of Harry's shirt.

"This will probably hit the papers tomorrow, Harry. Are you and Draco ready for the fallout from this? Many people will have things to say to you both, I am sure not all of it will be pleasant."

"We know, I am pretty sure most of our friends will stick with us and we have each other, we will be okay. Of course I will always worry about Draco, this is going to be most difficult for her, she will not being leaving my sight for a while whether she likes it or not." Harry sighed, "What do I do? I know someone is bound to say something which will make my wife cry in the next few weeks, she is going to be hurt and there is nothing I can do to stop it."

Dumbledore smiled at him, "Just be you Harry, be there to pick her up and make her smile again. We will talk tomorrow when I know more about what is happening with the ministry but please try not to worry." The old man got to his feet and put a hand on Harry's shoulder as he walked passed.

"Thank you." Harry said quietly as Dumbledore left them alone in their room.

-#-

Hermione had her head buried in a book as she sat in the common room; Ron, Seamus and Dean sharing occasional looks and trying to get the brunettes attention without alerting anyone else. Sadly they were about as subtle as Peeves and Neville, who was sitting in a chair just a few feet away losing a game of chess to Colin Creevey, was watching them all curiously.

"Whatever it is you want to talk to Hermione about, can you just do so already; your combined twitchiness is starting to get annoying." Neville told them as he moved to sit next to Hermione.

All four of the Gryffindors turned to look at him in surprise, Hermione soon turning her gaze to glare at the other three boys.

"Neville will find out soon anyways." Ron reasoned, "Besides, Harry would probably tell him himself if he didn't have other priorities at the moment."

Hermione got to her feet and walked the few paces till she was towering over the red head, "Ronald, I strongly suggest you shut up _right_ now." She hissed at him, getting a firm grip on his arm and dragging him off towards the boys dormitory.

If they were going to have this conversation she would be damned if they were going to be overheard. Realising her logic Ron twisted enough to gesture to the others to follow using his free arm.

Hermione sat Ron down on his own bed before sitting cross legged on the end of Harry's facing him; it was less than a minute before the other three boys had taken seats on the beds next to them and she had cast the best silencing spell she knew.

"So is someone going to tell me what the hell you all know?" Neville asked and all three of the other boys turned to Hermione expectantly.

"Fine; Neville, you saw Draco collapse earlier right?" She waited for him to nod despite the confused expression on his face, it was going to be best if she didn't beat around the bush on this one. "Well turns out she's about four and a half months pregnant."

Neville was staring open mouthed, "Pregnant?" he asked as he turned to face Ron next to him who nodded, "For real?" He asked Seamus who was also nodding. "Well I didn't see that coming."

"From Draco and Harry's reactions, I don't think they did either." Seamus told him.

Hermione and Ron shared a knowing look, glad that the Gryffindors had at least bought the Potters' clueless act.

"This is going to be so weird, Harry and Draco as parents; I am still getting used to there being a Harry and Draco." Dean told the others.

"Wait, but they are only fifteen, there is no way the ministry will allow them to keep the baby, the law says you have to be seventeen."

"I am sure Dumbledore will help them out, Neville, he was with them when we left." Ron explained.

"I hope your right Ron, they have both lost enough family without losing their child as well." Hermione didn't have to fake the concern she was feeling, this was unlikely to be a straight forward year.

-#-

Harry was watching over Draco as she slept on their sofa when she suddenly sat up with a hand on her belly.

"You okay, Love?"

"Yeah, I felt him move... just like a really weird fluttering." Draco was staring at where her hand still was, in awe. "What time is it?"

"Not sure, mid-afternoon I think. I thought you could do with the rest." Harry gave her a gentle smile.

Draco stretched as she sat up, wrapping the blanket that was over her around her shoulders. "I guess this was all going to come out pretty soon anyways. I can't imagine it will be more than a few weeks before I start showing, I can already see a slight bump. I still feel mentally exhausted though, how long do you think we have before the whole school knows?"

"Dumbledore is submitting papers tonight to get us a hearing to have an exception made on the age limit, which means it is possible that the Prophet might have news of this by tomorrow morning, Love." Harry worried his bottom lip, waiting to see how Draco would take this news.

"Oh... okay." Draco looked nervous, so Harry got off the chair and moved to sit next to her. "You aren't going to let me go anywhere without you now are you?"

"See, I knew you were smart, Love." Harry kissed her temple and laughed as she moved around to lean into his side, glaring at him. "People are going to be mean, Love, and I will be damned if I am going to let anyone hurt you."

Draco rolled her eyes, "I know... thank you."

"Want to play some exploding snap or would you rather kick my arse at chess again?"

"Can we do both?" Draco asked with a smirk.

"Of course, chess first?"

"Sounds good."

-#-

"Morning Pansy." Blaise said as he sat into the empty seat next to her at breakfast the next morning.

"Morning Blaise." He could hear the smugness in her voice and looked up to see her grinning at him.

"What?" He asked and in response she simply slid a copy of the daily prophet along the table till it was in front of him.

Looking down, he sighed; there was a large picture of Harry and Draco which looked as though it had been taken at the Hogsmead station, the day they had caught the Hogwarts express back to school after Christmas; a large headline reading **_'Boy-who-lived and teenage wife in pregnancy scandal'_**.

**_'Harry Potter, who shocked the wizarding world when he married his former school rival at the beginning of August last year in secret, submitted a formal request, via Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore, for a hearing at the ministry to discuss the guardianship of the child his wife is currently pregnant with._ **

**_'The couple got together following a potions accident when Draco Malfoy (Now Potter) was changed into a female and then disowned by his/her father, renowned business man Lucius Malfoy. Both teens remained at Hogwarts school during the summer holiday period due to neither having parental homes to return to and there is very little known about what led them to make such a quick decision to marry._ **

**_'Ministry marriage documents quote Mr Potter as saying "I love her and I knew how much she wanted a family" and that he "wasn't about to wait around for someone else to beat [him] to it.". Draco reportedly said " I lost everything I ever knew, I wanted a family. I love Harry very much and he is that family to me now."._ **

**_'Generally there has been approval of the pair with many expressing their happiness for the couple, that witnesses say to be obviously in love with each other, however The Daily Prophet suspects that the young couple's unexpected pregnancy will be considered, by most, as outrageous, irresponsible and scandalous._ **

**_'The Daily Prophet has not been able to get any information on just how far along the pregnancy is but it is likely to be safe to assume that they will have submitted the hearing request as soon as they became aware of the situation._ **

**_'The laws at the ministry state that no-one under the age of seventeen is allowed to become a parental guardian and in the case of children born to teenage parents the child is normally given to other family members or another appropriate family to raise. However the Potter case will have to be looked into a discussed for several reasons._ **

**_'Firstly there are no grandparents to take full guardianship of this child and therefore if Mr and Mrs Potter are to be denied parental rights their child would have to be given to a more distant relative and secondly it is rare for teenage parents to have conceived their child legitimately._ **

**_'There have been several prior cases where a married couple have been awarded guardianship of a child despite being under seventeen years of age, on the basis that the child born is a legitimate heir. It is suspected this is the argument that Dumbledore, young Potter couple and their supporters will be making._ **

**_'All here at The Daily Prophet will be actively following this story as it progresses and will do our best to keep all our readers informed; in the mean time we wish Mr and Mrs Potter the best of luck.'_ **

Blaise finished reading and looked up at a still grinning Pansy, noticing that people all around the hall were reading the paper and whispering to each other. The hall wasn't very full given that it was a Sunday morning but there were still over fifty percent of the students.

"I told you." Pansy said and Blaise was surprised it had taken that long for her to say it.

"Apparently." Blaise stated simply, "You're not going to give them hell over this are you?"

Pansy thought for a few moments, "Well I won't go out of my way to do so, if that is what you mean, but I am not going to pass up any great opportunities or be nice or anything."

Blaise rolled his eyes but was glad that Pansy seemed more pleased with having been proven right than feeling the need to cause trouble for Draco.

-#-

"You sure you don't want to see a paper before we go down, Draco." Harry asked as they left their room, Hermione and Ron had come to their room to walk down with them. "At least so we know what other people think they know."

"Harry, I told you, right now I am just hungry and if I think if I actually read whatever it says then I am going to not have the courage to go down and face everyone." Draco explained again, Harry had been asking her similar questions for the last ten minutes.

"Come on, I am so hungry now," Ron complained as they waited for Harry to put his other shoe on, "You shouldn't keep your friends waiting for food, let alone your pregnant wife."

"Don't you dare try to use me to manipulate my husband, Ronald Weasley." Draco snarled making Ron looked distinctly nervous and Hermione and Harry both laugh.

"Okay, let's go." Harry slid his hand into Draco's as they left their rooms, loving that he could feel her wedding ring against his palm.

It was a few seconds after they entered the great hall, to find breakfast, that the silence started to spread, everyone stopping to look at them; Harry felt Draco's grip tighten and picked up the pace with which they were walking to the Gryffindor table. Ron and Hermione sat facing the room with Harry and Draco opposite them, in the space that Dean and Neville had just made between them.

"You okay, Love." Harry asked quietly getting a small nod and a tight squeeze to his hand, before Draco started to help herself to toast and scrambled egg. Seeing that she was relatively okay, the other three also started to serve themselves breakfast.

-#-

Blaise watched as Draco entered the hall with her now usual guard of the three Gryffindors; she looked to be okay, at worst maybe somewhat disconcerted by the silence which was spreading through the hall and the eyes had turned to watch them.

"The nerve to show their faces as if they have done nothing wrong, they have ruined Draco's life, stupid Gryffindors." Pansy bitched.

"I am fairly sure Draco had a hell of a lot more to do with the conception of her own child, than either Granger or Weasley did." Blaise told her indignantly, whilst trying for the life of him to remember why he still put up with her crap. "The last thing Draco needs is your brattish attitude, and to be honest, I don't need it either; So I am going to go over there and actually be supportive."

Leaving a gaping Pansy, Blaise got up from his seat and walked, watched by many eyes, across the hall.

-#-

"I don't mean to alarm either of you, but Blaise Zabini seems to have just said something that Parkinson didn't think too highly of and is now making his way over this way." Hermione told those around her.

Harry and Draco wore comically similar expressions of surprise at her words and turned just as the tall dark Slytherin reached them.

"I just want to say... Well I don't really know what I was just going to say, but I guess I am around if you need a friend, Draco. I don't think badly for you because of all this, I know you just followed your heart, which is an incredibly stupid Gryffindor-ish thing to do, but well, I guess I have missed you. See you around some time, okay." Blaise seemed to be done because he gave a small awkward wave before he turned and left the hall.

"That was weird." Seamus commented when everyone else was apparently too stunned to speak.

Slowly though a grin broke on Draco's face and Harry smirked at the sight, apparently Draco had missed Blaise too and Harry was pro-anything that made Draco grin happily like she was right now.

"A second Slytherin that isn't a complete bastard, will wonders ever cease?" Ron commented taking a large bite out of an apple.

They made quick work of breakfast, as the mutterings around the hall were starting to annoy all of them and so as a group they got up to leave, making their way towards the door, trying to ignore the eyes that followed them; Hermione pocketing a copy of the Daily Prophet for them to read when they got somewhere more private.

"Hello, Draco." The harsh false sweetness of the voice and the sight of the tall blonde man froze them in their tracks.

"You have no business here, Malfoy." Harry spat at him, pushing Draco gently behind him, Ron stepping up next to him, so that the small blonde was all but hidden from sight.


	12. Always A Potter

_Previously: _

_"Hello, Draco." The harsh false sweetness of the voice and the sight of the tall blonde man froze them in their tracks._

_"You have no business here, Malfoy." Harry spat at him, pushing Draco gently behind him, Ron stepping up next to him, so that the small blonde was all but hidden from sight._

-#-

"It seems I might have been somewhat... premature in disowning _my_ son." Lucius drawled.

The Gryffindors all seemed to be snarling at the taller man, surrounding Draco like a shield.

"You have no son," Draco yelled at him, "and I will never be a Malfoy again, no matter what you want."

"Draco is a Potter and _my_ wife, you will never be able to hurt her or any other member of my family ever again." Harry actually managed to smirk at him and if Draco had been able to see his face, she would have been proud.

"Oh, I have no intention of _hurting_ anyone, Mr Potter; I just came to inform both you and your... _wife_... that, as Draco's biological parents, Narcissa and I will be putting ourselves forward as prospective guardians for your child... should the ministry choose to abide by the law and deny you guardianship."

 Lucius Malfoy looked far too pleased with himself and Harry was shaking with rage, aware of Draco literally clinging to the back of his robes, her gentle sobs against his back breaking his heart.

"Mr Malfoy, I cannot possibly fathom what business you would have in my school." Dumbledore spoke in a very carrying voice from behind the blonde man. "You no longer have a child here and as such are no longer on the board of governors either. I am afraid I will have to ask you to leave and for the safety of all my students I must ask you not to return unless invited. Dobby. "

The small house elf apparated next to the Headmaster and startled at the sight of his former owner.

"Whats can I be doings for Mr Dumbledore, Sir?" The elf asked with a respectful glance up at the old man.

"Please see Mr Malfoy off the Castle grounds." He requested with a warm smile.

"With pleasure, Sir." The house elf really did seem more than happy to comply, grabbing a firm grip on Lucius Malfoy's, no doubt expensive, robes he disapparated them both.

Harry wasted no time at all, once that man was gone from his sight, in turning around and pulling Draco against him, she was borderline hysterical, sobbing against him, pleas of 'no' and 'can't' barely distinguishable. Wanting to get away from all the stares in the hall Harry leant down and picked her up, thankful when she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as she continued to cry onto his shoulder.

Hoping his friends and Dumbledore would all follow Harry swept out of the hall, heading towards his and Draco's private room.

"Disgusting..."

"Evil, manipulating, no good..."

"Bastard..."

The Gryffindor boys were furious and the streams of insults that was spewing from their mouths were indistinguishable from one another's but they all seemed to have managed to let off the worst of their steam by the time they reached their room.

Harry was glad that when he sat on the sofa, with Draco now basically straddling his lap, that Dumbledore and his friends were all making themselves at home. Harry was rocking back and forward slightly whispering calming words to Draco, tell her that it was going to be okay, that he loved her, that no-one could take her or their child. Draco was no longer full on crying but her breath kept catching as she let out small sobs and it was clear to all of them that she had been completely terrified.

No-one spoke, they all just watched on as Harry cradled his emotionally fragile wife in his arms until her breathing deepened and she visibly relaxed into sleep. Even then they seemed to not want to disturb the heavy silence that was filling the room.

"Can you pass me that blanket." Harry asked Ron, who picked the large piece of fabric up off the back of the chair and helped Harry to put it around Draco's shoulders. Harry picked her up carefully and with a small amount of assistance from Hermione, got his young wife sleeping more comfortably in his arms. "Can we just let her sleep for a few minutes? She will be better once she wakes up."

"Of course." Dumbledore told them as he lit a fire, and they again fell into a more comfortable silence.

"Harry?" Draco mumbled half asleep, gripping tightly to his front, a short while later.

"I am here, Love. You feel a bit better."

She nodded slightly sitting up a bit more,  still on his lap, looking bleary eyed around at the other occupants of the room. "How long was I asleep?"

"Not long," Hermione told her, "maybe quarter of an hour. Are you okay?"

Draco looked up at her husband, shuffling off his lap to curl up in the blanket, tucking herself into his side. Once she was comfortable she turned to Dumbledore, "Does he stand a chance?"

The elderly man sighed sadly, "Honestly, if they deny you and Harry guardianship, he is one of this child's only blood relatives; that will be strongly in his favour. He would stand a better chance if he could reverse your disownment."

"NO!" Draco snapped, "I am a Potter, I will NEVER be a Malfoy again."

"See I told you she would be fine once she had slept for a short while." Harry told them all with a smirk, "Don't worry, Love, you are a Potter, you are stuck with me as family for life now."

Draco punched his shoulder. "I am a Potter, my children will be Potters. Even if he reverses the disownment, I will apply for emancipation, right? Besides I would still remain a Potter, our marriage wouldn't become void no matter what he does."

"That's probably why he is going after your child, not you." Dean suggested from where he and Seamus were sitting, near Ron.

"I believe Mr Thomas is correct. It is far more likely he will focus his efforts on your son; who he could place as an heir." Dumbledore agreed.

"This is all irrelevant though." Harry growled, "I am sure the ministry will give us guardianship, we have a good case..."

"Harry..." Draco tried to interrupt.

"No, Draco..." Harry gave her a stern gaze that made her fear for anyone who would try to take her or their child away from him.

"We have to prepare for the worst case...." Draco tried again

"The worst case scenario, Draco, is that they deny us guardianship and we leave, we go somewhere where they cannot take him from us, understand?"

Draco nodded, she realised she should never have doubted him when he said that no-one would take their son.

"We will give you two sometime alone. All we can do is wait for summons from the ministry anyways." Hermione got up to leave, dragging the four Gryffindor boys to their feet to get them to leave, Dumbledore leaving ahead of them with a small kindly smile.

"Ron." Draco called, jumping to her feet, as they were stepping out of the doorway; he turned to look at her questioningly. "Can I borrow your tie, I need a second one as well as Harry's." Draco was smirking and Ron looked confused for a few seconds before he turned a slightly green colour.

"I tell you what, if you are using it for what I think you are, you can keep it and buy me a new one." Ron slid it off his neck and handed it over, before joining his now laughing housemates as they walked away. "So wrong." Draco heard him mutter as she closed the door.

The blonde didn't speak as she walked back to the sofa where Harry was still sat watching her and straddled his lap again, making sure her skirt was pooling around her hips. She bucked her hips slightly and he groaned, leaning forward to kiss her only to be stopped by her small hand splayed on his chest. She was wearing a devious smirk that sent surprisingly pleasant tingles down Harry's spine, she used both hands to remove his tie, Ron's matching one still in her right hand.

She slid backwards off his lap till she was standing in front of him, making her husband whine slightly as the loss before she reached out and hooking her finger into a belt loop pulled him to his feet.

Walking backwards, a tie in each hand and a finger in his belt loop, she took him to their bed, pushing him onto it. He allowed the action, both knowing full well that she didn't actually have the strength to force him anywhere; this just made it all the better that he allowed her this control, knew that she needed to be powerful right now.

Removing her shoes and socks, she crawled onto the bed by his feet, prowling up his body; watched by Harry as he propped himself up slightly using his elbows. She sat herself on his chest as he looked at her, emerald eyes flaring with impatient passion; the sight made her chuckle lightly, a sound that apparently did wonderful things to her man if the small noise he made was anything to go by.

Carefully she pulled out the wand that was strapped to her wrist, waving the ten inches of hawthorn; the ties slithered from her gentle grip as she used both hands to force him flat against the bed. Like little red and gold snakes, the ties twisted around each arm, moving towards his wrists, pulling them over his head, Harry chuckled deeply at the lust burning in his little Slytherin's grey eyes.

She waved her wand again smirking at gasp Harry made when his clothes were transported across the room, leaving him wearing just his boxers as he lay restrained beneath his wife.

"What...?" Harry started but Draco placed a single slim finger to his lips and shushed him.

Draco put her wand on the bedside table and then reached up the back of her shirt; Harry could help but stare wide-eyed as she managed to unclip and manoeuvre herself out of her bra, whilst still wearing her shirt; it seemed she was going to tease him for all he was worth, not that he was complaining.

Still smirking she stood up, a foot either side of his hips as she slid her underwear down her legs, her skirt just too long to expose herself just yet; stepping out of them, she sat herself down onto his crotch which was now obviously tented beneath her. She undid most of her shirt buttons before wiggling her way down his legs, her eyes focused on his as he lifted his head up to watch her as she released him of his remaining item of clothing.

She moved back up his body, still not breaking eye contact till he could feel her breath against his now painfully hard and twitching member.

"Please, Love... please." Harry begged, his eyes closed and head tipped back into the pillows.

Draco grinned before she licked the length of his penis before taking the tip into her mouth, toying with him using her tongue. His breath was ragged and he didn't even seem to be able to form words. Using her hand she stroked him gently, moving in time with her mouth as she sucked and licked; she was having to keep one hand on his hip as he mindlessly tried to thrust, to stop him from pushing further than she could manage.

Harry let out an exasperated moan when she stopped and shifted her position; only for him to nearly scream when she used her hand help swiftly impale herself on him. She moaned at the combined sensations of being filled and of the power she had over him, she was as turned on as the man she was seducing; she had to take a moment, to stop them both from coming right there and then and took it to place a contrastingly gentle kiss on his lips.

Draco felt his legs move as he bent them to get leverage, before he thrust up into her now wet and throbbing body, loving every sound she made. She was not ready to give up her control though and planting her feet on the bed and grasping his thighs slightly behind her, she lifted herself till he was barely inside her; dropping herself back down painfully slowly.

She did this several times, before Harry bucked up into her hard, making them both gasp with want. Giving in to his, and her own, impatience she began to bounce up and down rapidly, rolling her hips to make sure he was hitting herself where she wanted, as he begged and pleaded beneath her.

She wasn't sure when he had started thrusting up to meet her every move but she knew they were both close and called his name as she came, Harry thrusting up twice more before he emptied himself into her.

Panting his exhaustion, he wrapped his legs around her waist, making her squeal as flipped them over, so that he was leaning over her, his hands still bound to the headboard. "We so have to let you take control more often and the partial school uniform really works for you." Checking out the skirt that was now around her waist and the shirt held on by a single button from which her breasts had already escaped.

Draco laughed up at him and grabbed her wand, releasing the grip the ties had on the headboard so that they were hanging limply around his wrists.

"Yeah, pretty sure Ron was right in saying he didn't want this tie back." Draco told him with a smirk.

Harry leaned down, pressing himself against her front, kissing her sweetly. "I love you."

"Even when I turn all Slytherin sex goddess on you?" the blonde gave him a wink.

"Oh, especially when you turn all Slytherin sex goddess on me."

-#-

"Ron, here's your tie back" Harry told his best friend jovially as he sat down next to him, Draco sitting on the opposite side of the table next to Hermione; both of whom looked as though they were losing the battle to hold back their laughs at the horrified expression on Ron's face.

"Erm... didn't I tell you I didn't want it back." He mumbled to the blonde opposite them.

Harry laughed, "It's okay mate, this is a new one."

Ron looked hesitant for a moment before sighing and taking it. "It's a good job no-one cares if we aren't quite wearing the full uniform at the weekends, though you better be glad that Dirum didn't see me without a tie, that woman is a nightmare. She would have given we a week's worth of detentions at least."

"Just trust me when I tell you that I am really very grateful, mate, and as a sign of my appreciation I will spare you from having to listen to any details." Harry said as he patted Ron on the back.

"Yeah, thanks." Ron rolled his eyes and glared at the two girls opposite them who had now broken out into giggles at something Draco had whispered in Hermione's ear.

"Oh I see you got your tie back, Ron." Neville said as he sat down on Ron's other side and it was just too much for Harry, Draco and Hermione, who were almost crying with mirth.

"Don't you start, Neville, these three are already going to be the death of me, I swear." Ron grumbled and Neville just gave him a big smile and began helping himself to dinner.

-#-

Blaise watched as Draco and Hermione clung to each other, laughing hysterically, and then took another look at his supposed friends around him, most of whom, particularly Pansy, were making a point of ignoring him. This was stupid, why was he sitting surrounded by people who disapproved of his actions and who he didn't really want to be associated with at the moment either.

It was so frustrating being surrounded by people who saw emotions as weakness, whose whole lives revolved around winning and putting on a front.

He worried his bottom lip slightly, thinking deeply; would Draco even be open to him joining her at the other table, and even if she was, would the others allow it? He was sure that Draco wouldn't be fighting to repair their friendship and if that was what he wanted he was going to have to be the one to make it happen.

This was a decidedly un-Slytherin move, turning his back on his housemates in favour of one friend. One friend who might, when all is said and done, still want nothing to do with him. Surely this was a mistake, he was no Gryffindor, he wasn't powered by reckless courage and an overwhelming need to be morally right, he just wanted his friend back, the friend he was watching jealously from across the room.

On the plus side, potentially he wouldn't have to listen to Pansy's voice droning on about all sorts of nonsense anymore and it might annoy her and her society buddies enough to avoid ending up being married off to one of them.

Getting to his feet, Blaise worried his lip for a few moments before taking a deep breath and walking over to where Draco was sitting. It was Potter who noticed him first, looking up at him with a mixture of surprise and what looked worryingly like a smile.

The others appeared to notice Potter was not eating and soon realised that they had company. Granger and Weasley were frowning slightly but it seemed to be more confusion than aggression.  Draco looked to be stuck with similar emotions to her husband, but was the first to regain her voice.

"Blaise, what are you doing?"

"I know this is probably out of line and presumptive, but could I eat with you guys?" Blaise spoke softly but knew that given most of the students around them had stopped talking to listen, that none of them had missed what he said.

Draco actually looked at Potter, who gave her a small nod. Blaise felt annoyed that she seemed to need his permission, but the blonde was now looking at him appraisingly. It seemed that it was still Draco's decision after all.

It was several minutes before Draco spoke. "I suppose, but you are going to do some explaining while we eat, I am too hungry to wait for you to explain before we get back to our dinner."

Potter chuckled and added another chicken breast and some more carrots onto Draco's plate, who smiled and started eating again. The young boy who appeared to be either a second or third year, who was in the seat next to Draco, automatically moved along to make space and as he sat down a plate appeared. He glance up at the teacher's table and Dumbledore was smiling at him, raising a glass in his direction, a twinkle in his eye.

 


	13. Everyone Needs A Friend

_Previously: _

_It was several minutes before Draco spoke. "I suppose, but you are going to do some explaining while we eat, I am too hungry to wait for you to explain before we get back to our dinner."_

_Potter chuckled and added another chicken breast and some more carrots onto Draco's plate; she smiled and started eating again. The young boy, who appeared to be either a second or third year and was in the seat next to Draco, automatically moved along to make space and as he sat down a plate appeared. He glanced up at the teacher's table and Dumbledore was smiling at him, raising a glass in his direction, a twinkle in his eye._

-#-

Harry watched as Zabini sat down next to Draco, even as the blonde lowered her head to eat he didn't miss the small smile that appeared there. Zabini actually seemed okay, he didn't remember him ever actually being nasty to Draco even if he completely failed at being there for her when she needed him and if Draco wanted him as her friend then Harry would do everything he could to help make that happen; right now that meant having dinner with him.

"How do you suppose Ms Parkinson will feel about your decision to fraternise with Gryffindors?" Draco asked him somewhat formally, whilst continuing to work her way through her dinner.

 "I suppose, that her opinion on the matter will be fairly irrelevant in my view, though perhaps she can discuss her feelings with those terrible minions of hers." Blaise took a mouthful of mashed potatoes and gave Potter a small smile across the table.

Weasley and Granger were still watching him apprehensively, but Potter gave his friend an elbow in the ribs before he returned Blaise's smile. Draco turned her head to look at him questioningly, as if assessing how much she believed him.

"Draco, you know I have never had a great deal of time for the Slytherin politics, in fact clearly remember you mocking me for it on multiple occasions." Blaise pointed out with a wink.

Draco flushed and actually looked slightly ashamed of herself as she mumbled an apology.

Blaise actually laughed at this, "Don't be silly, I will make you a deal; you forgive me for failing you since the accident and I will forget what a pompous brat you were pretty much since we started Hogwarts. In fact if we could pretty much ignore everything between us since we started Hogwarts that might be best."

"That sounds like a deal I could live with." Draco grinned. "You sure you can deal with hanging around with Gryffindors?"

Blaise scrunched his nose up slight, "Draco, you might be a girl, but you are still a Slytherin."

The petite blonde giggled slightly leaning slightly towards Blaise, smirking with her eyes focused on Harry's, "Yes, but I am married to a Gryffindor and basically all of our friends are Gryffindors, if you honestly want to be my friend again... well let's just say, me and these Gryffindors are a group package now, you get all or none of us."

"Here, here." Granger and Weasley toasted with goblets of pumpkin juice, making Draco, Potter and several of the others around them laugh.

"Oh, what the hell have I let myself in for now. Your friendship damned well better be worth it Draco." Blaise groaned in mock annoyance.

Blaise stayed with them for the rest of the meal and was surprised how easy their company was, they laughed a lot more then he was used to and whatever the joke was about Weasley's tie, it was completely lost on him.

-#-

Harry pulled Draco against his side with a chaste kiss as they left the great hall after dinner, "That seemed to go well."

She nodded and bit against her bottom lip slightly. "Blaise? We were going to go play some card games in our rooms for a bit, would you like to join us?"

Blaise was shocked and looked from Draco to Harry, Ron and Hermione, trying to see if this was a genuine offer. Harry was grinning at his wife, Ron shrugged his shoulders and Hermione looked pleased.

"If you guys are sure?" He was hesitant and was only going to go if they really wanted him there.

Draco didn't even respond, taking Harry's hand as they turned to walk away, Blaise thought for a moment it was a rejection until Hermione slipped her arm around his and started pulling him along with them down the corridor.

"You better not mess this up, Zabini." Ron warned.

"You guys really take care of Draco now, don't you?" Blaise smiled at the brunette who was practically dragging him along.

Both Ron and Hermione laughed.

"Draco might look small and fragile but she doesn't need looking after. Granted, she did a bit when everyone abandoned her, but now..." Hermione indicated the couple in front of them.

A short way ahead of them Harry picked the petite blonde up, her head resting on his shoulder, she looked up at their three friends following them and winked.

"See, she has Harry wrapped around her finger, she is quite capable of getting exactly what she wants." Ron told him.

"Well I guess Draco really hasn't changed much at all, when we were kids Draco always knew how best to play people." Blaise was grinning, "I am pretty sure the Draco you guys know, is the same Draco I remember from before Lucius tried to manipulate his son into being this perfect Malfoy heir. That was why we weren't as close by the time we came to Hogwarts." He looked sad for a moment, before smiling at the two walking with him, "But it would seem that Potter has gotten me my friend back and for that I can definitely learn to play nice with Gryffindors."

"You should call him Harry, you know, Potter is Draco's name too." Hermione scolded lightly.

"Urg... yeah, that is never going to stop being weird, but I will see what I can do."

-#-

The next day was a Monday and Draco should have known that she wouldn’t be able to enjoy her favourite lesson as usual given her luck over the weekend. Her and Harry entered the dingy dungeon classroom with the other Gryffindors and Slytherins, when Snape commanded; Blaise gave them a grin from where he was sitting at the back of the room, a table to himself.

They had just taken their usual seats just behind Ron and Hermione, who were bickering over how many feet the Charms essay was supposed to be, when the sneering professor spoke.

“Mrs Potter,” Everyone’s eyes turned to the petite blonde, “You will come and sit at the side of my desk; of course we cannot permit you to put the Potter spawn in danger with fifth year potion making skills.”

Draco and Harry were both flushed red at the bluntness of the words but Draco was also managing a annoyed grimace at the news that she wouldn’t be allowed to partake in the practical lesson. She swept her book back up into her arms and forced herself not to storm across the room, making calm and calculated steps.

“You will use this time wisely; I expect a report detailing to potential risks of potion brewing to _pregnant_ witches.” The professor sneered, as if the word left a nasty taste in his mouth.

Several of the Slytherins were heard to snigger in amusement to which both Harry and Blaise both growled. Draco just pulled out a quill, parchment and her Potions text book; making a start on her set task.

“Everyone else, into pairs, instructions on the board; it should not take you more than an hour.” Snape droned, returning to his seat at his desk, next to where Draco was now sat.

Blaise moved to sit in Draco’s now empty seat, beside Harry.

“She is going to be in such a foul mood, you know how much she loves Potions.” He whispered in the Gryffindor’s ear.

“Yeah, how bad a mood do you think she will be in if McGonagall doesn’t let her take part in practical transfiguration classes?”

Blaise chuckled lightly, “I am sure she would _never_ take her frustrations out on you.” the sarcasm heavy in his voice, making Harry groan in dread.

“POTTER, ZABINI; you now have fifty five minutes. If you have time for frivolous conversation then I can suppose I can expect a perfect brew?” Snape snapped, making them both jump into action.

-#-

As Harry had foretold to Blaise, Draco was not permitted to take part in Transfiguration practical lessons either, and was only allowed to join her class mates for selected lessons in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms lessons. As Blaise had predicted, she was very annoyed about this.

Draco had thrown several books, and other items she could get her hands on, at Harry; yelling out her frustrations, ranting about how sick she was of writing essays. Harry had the good sense to let her, calming using spells to catch the items, stacking them to the side.

The blonde had assured Harry, once she was calmer, that she was not truly angry at him, but that she also would not be apologising as he deserved his share of consequences; he didn’t disagree.

-#-

As expected in the following few weeks everyone was talking about the article in the Prophet and both Harry and Draco were more than sick of the mutterings and whisperings that followed them where ever they went. Hermione had finally given a copy of the Prophet to the Potters a few days later, when Draco remembered she had not yet read it, and while Draco had cried as Harry held her, they had generally taken it pretty well.

 Blaise and Draco's renewed friendship was a mixed blessing, in that while the Slytherins were not taking it well, Draco loved having him around. It was now common for Blaise to join the Gryffindor table at meals, study with Draco, Harry, Ron and Hermione in the library and even had started to sit with them in class. They were just glad that the Slytherins seemed to be content to mock or ignore Blaise, rather than causing him any serious problems.

Things were generally going well with the new friendship; Draco was glad to have a friend that was truly hers again and Blaise found himself surprised at how much he liked Harry and his friends. It was nice for Harry to have someone who really knew Draco as a child and nothing made him happier than seeing the grin on his wife's face every time the Slytherin boy sat at their table for a meal.

"Harry?" Draco asked from her seat near their fire, running her hand slowly over the small bump she now had.

"Yes, dear?" Harry didn't look up from the essay he was working on.

"I was thinking I should perhaps spend some time with Blaise, without you guys around."

Harry looked up and turned to face his young wife, waiting for her to continue.

"And before you get all panicked about me not being safe, I am pretty sure Blaise wouldn't let anything happen to me." Draco bit her lip and tried to make herself look as cute as she could.

Harry sighed, putting his quill down and walking over to her, Squatting in front of her chair and taking her hands he gave her an adoring smirk. "Draco, as you so kindly pointed out once, being your husband doesn't mean I can tell you what you can and can't do and if you want time with just Blaise that is fine with me; that said you don't leave the school grounds and if anything happens to you I will kill him."

Draco rolled her eyes, "Okay, deal."

"I could probably do to spend some time with Ron and Hermione too; how about I spend some time with them tomorrow and then you and Blaise can have our rooms for the day given that it would probably not be wise for the two of you to hang out in the Slytherin common room at the moment. At least I will not be worrying about you being safe all day."

With a grin that warmed Harry's heart Draco practically threw herself off the chair into his arms, "Thank you, I love you so much."

-#-

Blaise arrived at the door to their rooms at around ten in the morning, having received an owl from Draco suggesting that they spent the day in her and Harry's room playing chess, cards and talking.

"Morning Blaise." Harry greeted him as he opened the portrait and allowed him entry.

"Potter." The tall Slytherin bowed his head as he stepped through the doorway.

"Merlin, Blaise; how many times are we going to have to tell you to call him Harry." Draco snapped slightly as she came into the living area.

"Sorry, old habits; anyway, I thought it was just going to be you and me today Draco?"

"I am just leaving." Harry went over to his wife and gave her a chaste kiss, a hand seemingly subconsciously placed over her belly. "Have a good day, love, I will be in the Gryffindor common room... unless Hermione drags us to the library or something... or Ron decides we should sneak out to Hogsmead..."

"We will be fine, Harry; now go." Draco sighed happily apparently amused by her other half's protectiveness.

"Okay, okay, I'm going, I'm going...." Harry stopped at the doorway, "Remember Blaise..."

"Anything happens to her, I'm dead, don't worry, I know." Blaise finished for him with an amused expression which turned into a laugh at the sight of Draco's small frown.

-#-

"Hey guys." Harry greeted his two best friends as he sat on the sofa next to them.

"Harry, hi." Hermione gave him a kind smile.

"Where's the ball and chain?" Ron asked as he looked around and didn't see the small blonde.

"The what?" Harry looked baffled and amused.

"Ball and chain, the missus, your other half..." Ron tried to clarify to which Hermione rolled her eyes.

"And it would have been too difficult to just ask me where Draco is?" Harry was wearing a frown. "She is spending the day with Blaise in our rooms; so I thought we should have some time, just the three of us."

"That's a great idea." Hermione proclaimed and her and Ron were wearing matching grins.

"Want to sneak out to Hogsmead?" Ron suggested.

Hermione sighed, ducking her head down so they wouldn't see her amused smirk and Harry nodded excitedly, glad he had brought the cloak and map with him.

-#-

"So, what do you want to do today?" Blaise asked as Harry shut the door behind him.

"Not really sure, but I wouldn't mind a couple of games of exploding snap." Draco suggested as she threw herself at the sofa.

Blaise couldn't help but wonder how sitting crossed legged on a sofa like that could be comfortable and noted this was definitely a girl Draco thing; though he supposed it would have been a lot more difficult to sit like that when she wasn't so petite.

"I brought my set of gobstones too, we can push the sofa and chairs over and then there should be enough space to play; I have missed playing against someone who is actually a challenge."

They sat and played, just enjoying each other's company for the rest of the morning and at around one Dobby appeared with a large selection of foods. Harry had apparently instructed him to bring food to their rooms if they didn't show up in the great hall, not trusting the two Slytherins to remember to eat lunch, rightfully so as they had completely lost track of time.

Feeling rather more lethargic after the meal they settled down to play wizards chess; Draco was getting more and more sleepy and despite her best efforts feel asleep part way through their second game.

The sight of the small girl sitting cross legged on the floor, leaning back against the sofa, head lolling to the side as she slept, made Blaise chuckle; she did look quite adorable, though she would no doubt inflict great pain on him for even thinking such a thing.

"Come on, Draco;" Blaise spoke quietly and to himself. "We better get you lying down; if you get back ache from sleeping like that, I am sure it would be more than enough for that husband of yours to skin me alive."

He leaned down and carefully picked her up, letting her head rest against his shoulder, and gave thanks that she was now so very light. Blaise took a few seconds to decide whether to just let her sleep on the sofa or if it would be better to take her to bed;  as he wasn't sure that either of the Potters would like that he had been in their bedroom, he settled for keeping her with him.

She easily fit on the sofa, with her legs curled up, as he lay her down on her side; he supported her head long enough so that he could sit down and let her use his leg as a pillow. Belatedly he realised he should have gotten a book first and so had to use a summoning charm to call his book bag and a blanket over to him; with Draco tucked comfortably in and sleeping peacefully, Blaise opened his Charms book and began reading the chapter that Flitwick had set them on Friday.

-#-

Harry had had  great day; he had snuck into Hogsmead with his two best friends and Hermione had cast glamour charms on Ron so that he could make purchases of things they wanted without appearing to be a Hogwarts student.

They had spent several hours in the Shrieking Shack devouring the small mountain of various sweets and treats they had bought. Harry had also gotten three bracelets which were charmed to be able to locate each other as it was Valentine's day in just over a week and he didn't fancy a trip into the small town again when it was crowded with other students.

As he returned to his room mid-afternoon, the sight on his sofa made him feel such mixed emotions. Blaise was looked up from the book he was reading, Draco’s head resting on his lap as she slept. She was an incredibly adorable picture; though Harry couldn’t help the slight pang of jealously he felt that it was someone else who she was using as a pillow. Biting back the emotions he knew Draco would declare stupid, he moved towards the pair and gently brushed his fingers over her blonde locks, with affection.

“You guys have a good day?” He asked, still watching his young wife.

“We did,” Blaise confirmed, “she fell asleep after lunch so she may wake before long.”

Harry nodded and went to store away his purchases; returning to the living area of their rooms, he pulled out his copy of the charms book and sat in a chair to read.

“You want me to move?” Blaise asked.

Harry was about to yell yes, when he caught himself, he had nothing to be jealous of; Draco was his wife and Blaise’s friend, not the other way around. He realised that the Slytherin boy was still watching him, waiting for a response and shook his head. “Like you said, she will probably wake soon; I would rather not disturb her.”


	14. Be My Valentine

_Previously: _

_“You want me to move?” Blaise asked._

_Harry was about to yell yes, when he caught himself, he had nothing to be jealous of; Draco was his wife and Blaise’s friend, not the other way around. He realised that the Slytherin boy was still watching him, waiting for a response and shook his head. “Like you said, she will probably wake soon; I would rather not disturb her.”_

-#-

 “Good morning, my beautiful wife.” Harry whispered into a sleeping Draco’s ear.

“Hmmm.” She hummed slightly in response.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” He tried again to wake her, waving the plate of pancakes covered in maple syrup and fruit in front of her.

“Is that breakfast?” She asked; her eyes still closed in reluctance to wake up.

“Yes it is, and we are going to eat it in bed.” Harry was grinning; he was lying in bed next to her, and ran his free hand over the ever growing bump of her belly.

Finally she opened her eyes and smiled up deviously at her husband. “I think you should put that plate on the bedside table so we can really celebrate Valentine’s Day properly.”

Harry smirked at her, straddling over her to reach the table beside the bed, putting the plate down. As he so often was, he was struck by how much the sight of her beneath him affected him; even more so when could feel their child between them.

“I love you, Draco.” He leaned down to kiss her before she had a moment to respond and so she let the passion with which she returned his affections say everything she felt, her lips on his, her hands desperately grasping his hair; if she was causing him discomforted he either enjoyed it, or didn’t care.

It seemed to her he got the message, because she could clearly feel his pleasure at the sentiment pressing hard against her thigh. Draco spread her legs slowly, allowing him to press more firmly against her, as if they were trying to physically merge together.

Gasping for breath, they broke apart; Harry’s lips looking slightly bruised, his hair sexily mussed up and his eyes wide with love, lust and desire.  They took no time in ridding him of his Pyjama trousers, leaving his wonderfully naked to his wife’s eyes, their duvet already lost down to the end of their bed.

Once again straddling his wife, grinding himself slightly against her, his hands ran from their place on her smooth legs, upwards, under her nightgown; making it ride up as he worked his way up to her waist.

Draco moaned her pleasure as he placed gentle kisses on her now exposed legs, moving up them till he was kissing her hip; sucking hard and working it with his teeth, he marked her. As he did so, his hands, taking the night clothes with him and closely followed by his lip, moved over her rounded belly and explored her chest.

She was making all the noises he loved and she revelled in the feeling of being so adored and loved; his domination making all the right places feel warm and tingly, letting her know her body would be more than ready for him when he took her.

“Harry, stop teasing.” She demanded as he did something truly delightful with his fingers against her entrance, his tongue flicking over her erect nipples.

He smiled in wonder, at the reaction he could elicit from his gorgeous blonde, from the way she would writhe under him and demand more; he was always happy to comply. He slid a pair of fingers into her wet warmth, checking she was as turned on as he believed her to be.

“Harry! Now.” She insisted again.

He positioned himself against her and kissed her harshly, as he pushed into her. The multiple assaults on her senses sent trembles through Draco’s body and she whimpered at the pure pleasure she felt, against his mouth.

He thrust into her again, hard, and she wrapped her legs around his waist to stop her pushing her into the headboard. They broke their kiss and he bit lightly into the side of her neck but his next thrust was gentler however and in her frustration she put her feet on his arse to encourage him.

“Keen, Love?” Harry chuckled.

“I want you to fuck me, I want it hard and fast; I want to feel my big strong husband inside me.” Her voice was powerful and deeper than it usually was as she purred what she wanted.

“Anything for you, Mrs Potter.” And he complied thrusting into her, making her head tip back as she gasped her approval.

Motivated by her reaction he continued to push into her with great force, his fingers digging into her slim waist; her legs returned to his hips, using the grip to meet his movements, pushing his hard member deeper into her warmth.

Soon they were beyond words or rationale, moving together, warmth spreading through their bodies; Draco’s hands fisting the sheets beneath them as they mutual pleasure built. She reached up and tried to put her arm around his neck but he caught her wrist; stopping his thrusts with his cock still buried inside her.

He calmly placed her hand back at her side with a smirk, “Keep your grip on the sheets, no touching.” He ordered.

The command seemed simple and the desire to run her hands over her husband’s body had barely been there before, but now that it was forbidden her fingers seemed to tingle with the desire to caress every inch of his skin. Aware she was now focusing on keeping her hands off him he shifted his hips and fucked her hard again, returning her focus to him once more.

Her grip on the sheets had increased and she was moaning loudly, he was grunting slightly at the effort he put into making sure this was as great for both of them. Her submission to his control and command was doing wonderful things for both of them, making everything feel more intense and powerful.

It was only a few minutes longer before they were both unable to hold off they impending climaxes and as Draco tensed around him, a cry of joy from her lips, Harry came with her. He carefully slid his arms around her back and he pulled them both up so that she was straddling his lap as he sat on the bed, letting his flaccid cock slide gently from inside her.

She rested her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. “I love you too, Harry.”

He laughed, “Shall we have that breakfast I so kindly brought you, before we have to go to class?”

Draco groaned. “Class, damn it, do we have to?”

“Yes, Love, we have to.” Harry sighed; Draco had been much less keen on attending classes since she was excluded from so many activities in them. “Though, I would much rather just spend the day in bed with you, I assure you.” He kissed the top of her head.

She hummed her approval of that idea but otherwise didn’t move. Harry shuffled around, not moving her from his lap and lay down so that she was lying on top of him, her head now on his chest.

After a few minutes of quiet, Draco listening to the beat of his heart in his chest, Harry reached up and took a strawberry from the plate.

“Open up, Draco.”

She looked up slightly and smiled softly, opening her mouth to eat the large strawberry whole.

“Oh that is _really_ good.” Draco told him, snuggling against his chest, “I swear our son has a thing about sweet fruits.”

“Well if you sat up, I could give you a plate of them.”

“Nope, I think I will allow you to continue to feed them to me.”

Harry rolled his eyes, “Yes master, however I may serve you.” he mocked.

-#-

The day passed well, much to Harry’s delight; he really wanted Draco to be in a good mood that evening. They were all doing mostly theory work in lessons, which, while not exciting, allowed Draco to not be singled out.

In Care of Magical Creatures they were studying unicorns and it turned out that the large adult unicorn took a liking to Draco, even though it normally wouldn’t let anyone other than Hagrid close to them; by the time the lesson was over Draco was grinning from ear to ear and babbling about how soft the skin of the animal was to the touch.

Ron and Hermione walked with Harry as they followed Draco and Blaise back towards the castle.

“She seems in a good mood today.” Ron said suggestively, making sure to speak softly enough that the two Slytherins a short way ahead of them wouldn’t hear.

“Thankfully; I have had Dobby prepare a dinner for us, the last thing I needed was for her to have a bad day today.” Harry told her, deliberately ignoring any implications his friend had made.

“That was pretty awesome, that the Unicorn took such a liking to her, do you suppose it was because of her pregnancy.” Hermione speculated and then spotted Harry’s suspiciously pleased grin.

“You knew that it would react that way and asked Hagrid to give this lesson today?” Hermione asked him with a raised eyebrow.

With a small pleased laugh, Harry nodded. “Yeah, I asked Hagrid if there were any animals that particularly liked pregnant women; figured there would be something. He suggested the unicorns.”

“That is incredibly sweet of you, Harry.” Hermione gave him her best smile.

“That is incredibly sappy of you, Harry.” Ron tried to correct, which made Harry laugh loudly.

-#-

Draco woke up from the nap she always needed after a long day of lessons to find a neatly wrapped parcel on the foot of the bed. There was a red ribbon around the package with a small label, **_‘Draco’_** written on it in Harry’s scrawl, turning the label over she read, **_‘Put it on’_**.

“What are you up to, Harry?” she asked rhetorically.

Opening the parcel carefully, a small pile of deep blue, almost black, silky fabric fell onto the bed. Draco got to her feet and held it up, revealing a beautiful set of robes and by the time she had gotten them on, it was clear to her they had been made to fit her perfectly.

She inspected herself in the mirror for a few moments; her feet were still bare, but didn’t show as the robes reached the floor, she also noticed that with the thin material her baby bump still showed. Smiling at that, she headed toward their living room; Harry was leaning against the back of the sofa watching the fire flicker, wearing just as beautiful dark green robes, behind him a table set for two.

“Evening.” Draco simpered as she leaned coolly against the doorframe.

Apparently she had made Harry jump because he spun on the spot, breathing rapidly and hand over his heart. She laughed at him before making her way over to him, putting a hand on his chest and standing on tip toes to kiss him.

“Thank you for the robes, they are amazing, and to think I thought you had no taste in clothing.”

“I might have had a little help but though,” Harry put his hands  on Draco’s shoulders and looked her up and down, “I must say you look stunning; when you hear people say that pregnancy can make someone glow… well let’s just say, I understand what they mean.”

“Are we having dinner here tonight then?” Draco indicated the set table next to them.

“Yep, I didn’t feel like sharing your company with anyone else, not today. Today it is just you and me… and our son too I suppose.” Harry was smiling widely as he pulled out a chair for Draco to sit on.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Harry.”

“You too, Draco.” Harry gave her a chaste kiss before taking his seat opposite. “Dobby.”

The house elf appeared in the cutest little waiters outfit Draco had ever seen, though the look was somewhat ruined by the unavoidably odd appearance which is common to all house elves. He was holding two bowls of soup, which looked thick and creamy, placing one in front of each of them; he disappeared just to return with a small basket of what seemed to be fresh bread.

“This looks amazing Dobby, thank you.” Harry said, as way of a dismissal.

The soup was every bit as good as it looked and the two of them ate in an easy silence and Dobby returned when they had both not only finished but wiped their bowls clean with the bread. He replaced they finished started with dishes of pasta, covered with a rich tomato sauce and chicken pieces; a bowl of fresh salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers between them.

“I have a small gift for you, Harry.” Draco told him, “It isn’t really much, but…”

“You didn’t have to get me anything; you have already given me a family I could only dream of having, what more could I want.”

“Well that was incredibly girly and clichéd, Harry.” Draco told him with a cheeky grin.

“Yeah, yeah, well apparently you have that effect on me. So, what is it you got me, dear?”

“I will be right back.”

Harry watched amused as she hurried off to their bedroom and he heard her ruffling through a drawer or one of their trunks; a few moments later she returned with a beautifully wrapped gift and when she handed it to him he could immediately tell it was a book.

“A book?” Harry asked with a slightly thoughtful expression.

Draco nodded, “Open it.”

He pulled the paper carefully apart, revealing a fairly large posh looking text.  **_‘Wizard Parenting - Taking Care of Your New Baby Witch or Wizard.’_** Grinning widely he turned the book over and read the back. **_‘This book is a must have for any new parent in the wizarding world. It will walk you through what to expect and how to deal with any and all situations which are likely to occur, from pregnancy, through birth and as your child grows. Includes: illustrations of stages of pregnancy, complete illustrated guides to changing nappies and bathing your baby and tables to indicate expected ages for development stages, such as walking and talking.’_**

“Draco, this is amazing.” Harry scrambled to his feet and kneeling next to Draco he kissed her, “I love you so much.”

“I just knew you were, well… we both are, nervous about becoming parents; I thought this might help answer some of our questions and just make us feel a bit more sure about everything and…”

“Draco, it is perfect.” He kissed here again to stop her rambling. “I have a gift for you too.”

“What?” Draco glared at him lightly. “You already gave me breakfast in bed, this wonderful dinner and these beautiful robes…”

Harry had gone and fetched a velvet box a bit bigger than his palm from the shelf and returned to kneel next to her. “And I have gotten you this.” Harry opened the box.

Draco gasped at the sight of the silver bands inside, there were three, all identical, but in different sizes, from a couple of inches in diameter to less than one.

“I have one for you, one for me and one for our son, once he is born. They had a slight tracking spell on them; there is an incantation that if spoken with the name of the person wearing one of the other bracelets, will tell you which direction the other person is in. I just love the idea that we will always be able to find each other.” Harry explained.

“Wow, that’s amazing.” Draco reached out and slid the middle ring over her arm, gasping slightly when it tighten to fit her perfectly, then helped Harry put his on; their son’s put safely away on the shelf for in a few months’ time.

They returned to their dinner and Draco cast a simple warming charm to heat up the meal which had grown slightly cold. Dobby returned again once they had finished and the meal was finished off with a large fruit salad and a small mountain of cherry flavoured ice cream, which they had great fun feeding to each other.

All in all Harry couldn’t have asked for the day to have gone much better and Draco was sure she would never forget their first Valentine’s Day together; though she was sure Harry would spend the rest of their lives trying to best it.

-#-

Over the next few days Harry overheard Draco telling many people about the perfect dinner they had had and the matching set of bracelets that they had, though she refrained from telling them their true power.

Hermione and Ron had both been very impressed by Harry’s romantic side; though while Hermione seemed to just think this proved that her best friend was as great as she always knew he was, Ron was more of the opinion that Harry was definitely going to be his go to guy for all things relationship. Harry couldn’t help but feel anxious about this turn of their friendship and Draco had laughed when he told her as much.

Given that there was a constant worry of not knowing whether the ministry would sanction them to keep their child, they were managing to live happily; their lessons were progressing well as could be expected with the limitations placed on Draco, they were often with their friends laughing, playing games or doing homework and the pregnancy was progressing as well as they could ask for according to Madam Pomfrey, when they visited her for a check-up.

Draco’s bump was clearly visible through even the thick, heavy robes of their uniform and many students had asked if they could feel it, backing away quickly when Draco and/or Harry glared them down, sometimes with a snarl.

The first day of March found Draco sitting at the Gryffindor table, between Harry and Blaise, opposite Hermione and Ron, one hand shovelling the evening meal into her mouth, the other resting on her stomach. She squealed slightly as she felt a slight push against her hand.

“What happened?” Harry asked with concern.

“Quick, give me your hand.” Draco demanded, Harry didn’t hesitate to comply and she pressed it where her other hand had been.

“WHOA…. Was that…?” Harry asked, with wide eyes.

Draco giggled, “That’s our baby boy saying hello to his Daddy.”

Everyone around them who had heard broke out into whispers, there had already been a lot of talk about how far along the pregnancy seemed to be, speculation about when the child was conceived and the sex of their child.

Hermione and Blaise looked excited and Ron at least looked extremely curious. “You three can all feel him kick soon, I am sure, but not while I want to get back to finishing my dinner.” Draco told them with a grin.


	15. Plans and Good Communication

_Previously: _

_Draco giggled, “That’s our baby boy saying hello to his Daddy.”_

_Everyone around them who had heard broke out into whispers, there had already been a lot of talk about how far along the pregnancy seemed to be, speculation about when the child was conceived and the sex of their child._

_Hermione and Blaise looked excited and Ron at least looked extremely curious. “You three can all feel him kick soon, I am sure, but not while I want to get back to finishing my dinner.” Draco told them with a grin._

-#-

“That is so weird.” Blaise told them, his hand being kicked again as it rested on Draco’s belly.

All of them had felt the baby kicking later that evening and Draco had moaned that, now their son had learnt to let his presence known, he wasn’t going to stop again till he was born. It had taken some persuading to get Ron to feel, given that he was still slightly freaked out about the whole pregnancy and they had all laughed hysterically for several minutes when he scrambled away from Draco when he felt the baby kick.

Harry loved it, this proof that he and Draco had a strong growing son and had spent most of the evening with Draco on his lap, a hand on her belly. That was until she had had enough of his clinginess and escaped his grasp, moving to sit next to him and letting Blaise feel the baby again.

There was a tapping at the window and they all turned to see Hedwig trying to get let in

“Hey, girl.” Harry greeted as he opened the window and let her in.

The other four were watching him intensely when he sat back down, his owl on his shoulder and a letter, with the Ministry of Magic seal, in his hand. Harry looked genuinely nervous; if they denied them the chance to even plead their case then they might have to run, and soon. Draco moved over and climbed back onto his lap to both give and receive comfort.

“Do you want me to open and read it out?” Hermione asked when it seemed that Harry was still working up the courage.

He gave his wife a glance to make sure she didn't object before he nodded and held the off white envelope in Hermione's direction; his best friend scrabbled out of her chair and took it from his hand. The silence was heavy as she slid a finger under the seal and flipped the letter open, unfolding the thick parchment with care.

“To Mr and Mrs Potter, we are writing in response to your request for a meeting to discuss the guardianship of the child you are expecting. We are pleased to say your request had been approved…”

“Oh, thank Merlin.” Draco burst out as she clung to Harry, who seemed speechless in his relief.

“Go on, Hermione, what else does it say?” Ron encouraged.

“... A meeting has been set for ten a.m. on the Friday the twenty second of March. A letter regarding this meeting has also been sent to Headmaster Dumbledore explaining your required absence from all classes that day. You are both required to attend, along with those who you are suggesting as additional guardians for your child. You are entitled to bring a legal advisor to all meetings. Mrs Potter will be required to undergo a medical examination…”

“What?” Harry was frowning and holding onto his wife quite a bit tighter than was necessary.

“Harry, it is okay, Love; this is to be expected.” Draco reached up and touched his cheek gently to make sure his attention was fully on her. “They just have to make sure that I am pregnant and that it is your child. I am sure it will be very similar to what Madam Pomfrey has already done. Please continue, Hermione.”

“… Required to undergo a medical examination by a Ministry appointed healer, with at least three members of the Wizengamot in attendance.”

Harry was frowning and Blaise was too, but both knew they would have to more or less go along with the Ministry demands if they wanted this to go their way.

“Well at least they are going to give you a chance to make your case, mate.” Ron said after everyone had been lost in their own thoughts for a few moments.

Harry nodded.

“And this gives us three weeks to make sure you have answers to every question…”

Hermione was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. They looked at each other for a few moments and when Harry shrugged his shoulders indicating they weren’t expecting anyone, they all got to their feet and Blaise went to answer it.

“Ah, good evening Mr Zabini; I was hoping for an opportunity to speak with Mr and Mrs Potter for a few moments.”

Draco rolled her eyes as the sound of the Headmasters voice could be heard from in the corridor.

“Let him in, Blaise.” Draco pushed Harry gently back into his seat and she made herself comfortable in his lap once more.

“Good Evening, Professor.” Harry greeted warmly, as if they had been expecting him to join them all along.

“Good Evening, Harry. Would I be correct in assuming you received a most promising correspondence a short while ago?” It was clear that he was trying not to reveal too much in front of their friends as he could not be sure whether the young couple would have shared the news with the others.

“It is okay, Professor, Hermione just finished reading the letter to all of us.” Draco clarified.

“Well I will not bother you long as curfew is fast approaching and I am sure you are all keen to return to your beds. I simply want to ensure you have received the news of the appointment at the Ministry and to suggest you come to my office tomorrow so we can work out any details of question they are likely to ask you.”

“Thank you, Professor, we will see you tomorrow.” Harry assured him.

“We should go too.” Hermione pointed out, for the Headmaster was correct in that curfew would begin in less than ten minutes.

“Good night.” Several voices called at once and it was no more than a couple of minutes later when the Potters found they had their room to themselves once again.

-#-

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk which a pleased smile on his face when the Potters came to his office in the early afternoon, the next day. They were both smiling and seemed to have recently been laughing about something, Draco's hand subconsciously rubbing her now obvious pregnancy belly.

"It is good to see you both in such good spirits. You were absent from the Great Hall for both breakfast and lunch, I hope you did not starve yourselves." Dumbledore told them.

"No Sir, Dobby brought us food in our rooms for lunch when we got up." Harry told him.

"I am glad to hear that Harry, I hope you enjoyed your lie in." The old man's amusement grew when Draco's pale complexion flushed red.

"Yes, Sir; thank you, Sir." Harry mumbled slightly, also looking slightly flustered.

"Well I have heard it said that pregnancy does increase some... desires." Dumbledore chuckled and his suspicion, about their activities, was apparently confirmed when they both turned an even brighter red. "Perhaps we should move on before this old man embarrasses you both any further."

They both nodded keenly and took the seats he offered them, watching the Headmaster as he summoned a piece of parchment and took up his quill.

"Sir, " Draco asked hesitantly, "will you be coming with us to the ministry on the twenty second?"

Dumbledore watched them thoughtfully, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his large desk. "I would like to attend as your legal counsel, if you both permit it of course."

"Of course, Sir. You know far more about these legal proceedings than we do." Harry answered quickly and he smiled when he realised that his wife was vigorously nodding her head next to him.

"Well glad that is settled, but we have many more things we need to agree on." Dumbledore told them; smiling when Harry reached out for Draco's hand, in a gesture of support.

-#-

It was turning into a long day and Draco ran her hand through her hair in frustration. They had been in the Headmaster's office for almost two hours; they had gone through many of the questions that the Wizengamot were likely to ask.

They had agreed that they would be fine to continue to live in their appointed living quarters and that they would request that both Molly and Sirius be appointed as additional guardians, however it was proving a lot more complicated in agreeing on plans for their future education.

Dumbledore had told them it was likely that the Wizengamot would use it as a reason to deny them guardianship, if their education was going to significantly suffer or if they failed to be able to present a decent plan for their futures.

"Draco, you can't just not study at all next year." Harry argued with his wife.

"It isn't like I am saying I will stop studying, I just want to put it off for a year, take care of our son." Draco growled through gritted teeth.

"You are the smarter of the pair of us, Draco, why don't I take next year off instead; I know how you love studying and I don't want you to lose that." Harry sounded tired but was not willing to just let his wife sacrifice so much.

"I really hate it when you make it sound like you are stupid, Love; your education is just as important as mine." Draco insisted

"Please, Harry, Draco. This discussion is taking us no where given that the Wizengamot will not approve of either of you simply stopping your studies. Might I suggest a compromise?"

Harry nodded quickly before turning with a pleading look to the blonde in the seat next to him; Draco sighed and nodded.

"Harry, you want to become and Auror, correct?" Dumbledore waited till he received a nod of confirmation. "In that case you will need to take Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology and Charms... And Draco, you would like to become a potion's master?" Draco also nodded. "Well then you will need to take Potions, Herbology, Ancient Runes and Charms."

"Is that all?" Draco asked with a grin finally breaking out on her face.

The old man stroked his long grey beard as he noted these down on the parchment which was already covered with various scribbles related to their discussions so far. "I am sure you both would have chosen to study more subjects  under different circumstances, however, yes that is all your chosen careers would require of you."

Harry was now grinning too. "So that means we only need to work out arrangements for Potions, Herbology and Charms. I can take care of him while you study Ancient Runes and you can care for him while I am in Defence and Transfiguration."

"Are there multiple Charms classes again this year, Professor?" Draco enquired eagerly.

"I believe it is likely there will be, the popularity of the course makes it inevitable." Dumbledore told them.

"So that just leaves us to work out where our son will go during Potions and Herbology." Harry sighed.

"I can just ..." Draco started to offer to put those subjects off for a year but was interrupted by the Headmaster.

 "I have a suggestion that will mean you will both be able to attend the classes. I propose we request that Sirius joins you here next year, ask him to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts and have him take care of your child during Herbology."

"Why not both Herbology and Potions?" Harry asked, liking the idea of his godfather being around to help them out in the following year.

"Well Harry, I do need to provide acceptable reasons for him to be allowed to live at Hogwarts which being a teacher would provide, this however means he has to teach. I can ensure to schedule his free periods to match with your Herbology classes, but there would not be enough to be able to do the same with Potions." Dumbledore raised a hand to stop them from interrupting him before he continued.

"I do however have an alternative suggestion for Potions; I suggest you speak with Professor Snape and ask that he tutors you both privately outside of usual hours, so that Sirius will be free to take your son."

Draco sighed; she hadn't really spoken much with the sneering Slytherin head of house since the accident and was somewhat under the impression the Potions master was actually avoiding her; it wasn't like anyone else really still considered Draco a Slytherin, except perhaps Blaise. She realised Harry was watching her with a small frown and she sighed again.

"Draco," Dumbledore spoke softly, "I would like you to request this of Professor Snape; I am aware your relationship has suffered recently and I think it would benefit you both to attempt to restore it."

The young blonde looked positively terrified at the idea and Harry didn't blame here, Snape was quite a challenge at the best of times; however she was rubbing her growing belly again, clearly thinking of their son.

"Fine." She said in her sulkiest voice, glaring at where their son lay. "You better appreciate this mister."

Harry smiled at her and reached over to put a hand on top of hers. "We both do, Love."

-#-

"You figured out what you needed to?" Hermione asked, as Draco and Harry joined her, Ron and Blaise at dinner.

"More or less." Draco told them with a slight frown.

"What's crawled up her arse....."

"RON!" Hermione exclaimed, shocked at his language.

"Dumbledore wants Draco to ask Snape to teach us both Potions privately next year." Harry explained, watching as his wife appeared to be attempting to murder her plate of food.

"Really?" Blaise mostly managed to hide his pleased smirk. "I have been saying you should talk to him anyway, Draco. I honestly don't think he is actually avoiding you."

"What?" Harry and Hermione both turned to Draco.

"It's... well... just.... well..." She mumbled

"Draco..." Harry placed a hand on her arm. "Why would you think Snape is avoiding you?"

"I don't really know, it is just that, other than in class, he hasn't spoken to me once since we started 5th year."

"Well to be fair it isn't like you spend time in Slytherin territory anymore, Draco; and you haven't spoken to him either." Blaise pointed out, causing Draco to glare at him.

"If you want, I will come with you when you speak to him, Love." Harry offered, but Draco sighed a shook her head.

"It is probably best if I go on my own; I don't imagine your presence would improve his mood."

At this Harry and Blaise chuckled and nodded in acceptance of this.

-#-

Monday morning meant Potions class and with the knowledge that she was expected to have a conversation with her head of house, she barely managed to focus on the reading she was supposed to be doing in place of the days brewing.

"Draco.... Draco...."

"Huh?"

"Draco, class is over." Harry was standing next to her desk at the front of the room, smirking at her. "Are you coming to Transfiguration?"

"Oh, Yeah... err, no, I will catch up. Okay?" Draco glanced nervously towards the potions master who was shuffling though papers at his desk.

"Sure thing, Love." Harry kissed her temple and gave her a small smile before leaving the classroom.

Draco bit her lip and tried to remain calm whilst packing away her books and belongs into her bag. Leaving her book bag on her desk she took a deep breath and stood in front the Professors desk.

"Sir."

"Mrs Potter, you should be going to your next lesson right about now." He didn't even look up from his papers.

"Oh... they are doing practical work in Transfiguration and I can't..." Draco trailed off.

The Professor didn't speak but, with a put upon sigh, looked up at the petite Slytherin girl; he noticed she seemed uncharacteristically nervous  and leaning back in his chair, he gave her a questioning look.

"Mrs Potter, is there anything in particular you wanted or ..."

"Yes, Sir, sorry, Sir."

"Mrs Potter, please stop babbling and get to the point." Snape snapped.

"Have you been avoiding me, Sir?" Draco clamped her hands over her mouth, that was not what she had planned on asking but when the professor snapped at her the words had just come tumbling out.

"Draco..." the older man sighed again, sitting up to watch her calculatingly. "I am sorry."

That was not the response she had been expecting at all and it took a moment before she realised she was staring wide eyed and open mouthed, much to the amusement of the professor.

"Seriously, Draco, I presumed you would want to see me as little as possible. It was during a detention I set you that you had your accident, it was the potions I created that cost you everything and then I was unable to find you a cure." Snape looked tired and rested his head in his hands. "I even mocked you when you needed support and then didn't help you when the Slytherin's exiled you."

"Professor..." Draco was worried, she had never seen the man so out of sorts before.

"I know it is not my fault so do not get ideas about me having gone all self sacrificing but I have known you your whole life Draco and did not want to make everything any more difficult for you than it already was going to be." Snape explained.

"Sir, this might not make complete sense but I am glad the accident happened. Sure, things are more complicated now but I am married to the man I love, I have friends who actually like me for me and I don't have anyone telling me how I should behave or what I should believe."

 "That sounds like a very Gryffindor sentiment, Mrs Potter." Snape chuckled lightly.

"Not at all, It is the Slytherin in me that allowed me to turn a bad situation to my benefit." Draco was smirking. "I figured out what I want and now, without fear of being condemned for my choices by Lucius, I have done what I needed to do to get it."

"You got pregnant on purpose?" Snape narrowed his eyes at her, disapproval written on his face.

"What...? Oh, no, of course not." Draco laughed, and put a hand on her baby belly, "No that was genuinely an accident; I meant getting Harry to fall in love with me."

"It is easy to forget you are still really the same Slytherin you always were."

"That's why I kept my name, you know. I considered choosing a girl's names but I want people to remember that I am still me, even if I have a different body now."

"So, you are really coping then, Draco?"

She nodded at him, "Mostly, like I said, things are complicated but Harry fights my battles with me now which helps. I miss being allowed to be Slytherin though, Blaise helps but I still wish I could at least use the common room without worrying about how I will be treated there; even more so now there is no way I would gamble with my son's safety."

"I will see what I can do." The Professor nodded in understanding.

"Thank you, Sir." Draco turned to leave. "Oh..." She chuckled at herself, "There was something else, Sir. Next year is going to be difficult with balancing taking care of our son and classes; and yes I know we deserve it for being stupid enough to end up in this mess."

"Well at least you acknowledge it." The potions master was definitely looking smug now. "I presume you have something you would like to request from me in order to aid with your situation."

Draco nodded. "Sir, would you teach me and Harry potions privately, out of normal school hours?" Figuring she had nothing to lose, the blonde put her most pleading expression on her face.

"You want me to give up my free time to assist Potter with Potions?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"I am actually asking you to give up your free time to assist both Potters with Potions, Sir."

He narrowed his eyes even further, "Very well, you annoying brat. I assure you though, I will not be pampering either of you; it will be your responsibly to ensure that your husband keeps up and does as told."

She gave him her best grin. "Thank you, Sir..."

"Yes, yes, now be gone with you. I have work to do."


	16. Legal Proceedings

_Previously: _

_"I am actually asking you to give up your free time to assist both Potters with Potions, Sir."_

_He narrowed his eyes even further, "Very well, you annoying brat. I assure you though, I will not be pampering either of you; it will be your responsibly to ensure that your husband keeps up and does as told."_

_She gave him her best grin. "Thank you, Sir..."_

_"Yes, yes, now be gone with you. I have work to do."_

-#-

"How's she doing, how are you doing?" Hermione asked when Harry answered the door to their rooms on the morning of the twenty second.

"I am okay, Draco however... well come in and see." Harry stepped to the side and allowed Hermione to enter, followed by Ron and Blaise.

Once inside then stopped and watched as the young and now very obviously pregnant blonde paced back and forward, mumbling under her breathe. She had one hand on her back and another supporting their child; now that she was quickly approaching seven months pregnant, walking was not quite as simple as it had been before.

"Damn it, stupid back." She cursed loudly, trying to stretch and rub out the pain there.

"Draco, please sit down, sweetheart. I will rub your back." Harry told her as he took her hand and led her to the sofa.

Rather than sitting, she knelt down sideways and leaned forward with her hands on the arm of the chair; giving Harry easy access to put pressure on her back.

"OH BLOODY MERLIN'S BALLS!" Draco practically squealed when Harry dug his thumbs in and started to release the knots of muscles in her back.

Harry, thinking he hurt her pulled his hands away immediately causing Draco to look over her shoulder and glare.

"If you stop before I tell you to, Harry, Love, you will be sleeping on the sofa for a month." She told him in mock sweetness; Ron and Blaise tried to muffled their laughter, not wanting her wrath to be turned on them, and Harry start working on her back again.

When she continued to let out strings of curses he had to ask her if he was hurting her but she explained that while it was painful it was a good pain which was helping and he agreed to continue.

Hermione called Dobby and requested he bring a selection of breakfast foods to the room for them all, so they wouldn't have to face the great hall. It was already about eight thirty, so they had only half an hour before Harry and Draco were to go meet Sirius, Mrs Weasley and Dumbledore in the Headmaster's office and the others had to go to class.

"We will meet you guys back here tonight; okay?" Hermione told the young couple. "So you can tell us what happened."

Harry nodded his consent, as Dobby reappeared with an excessive selection of food. "Can I please stop now, Love, my thumbs hurt and we both need to eat something."

Draco laughed, "Yes, good Husband, you have my permission to stop now." She turned around to sit down properly, giving him a kiss and accepting the bowl of porridge with syrup from Blaise.

-#-

"You seem very calm, Draco dear." Mrs Weasley told her as the blonde girl sat down in a chair next to her.

"You should have seen me an hour ago, Mrs Weasley." Draco chuckled nervously.

"Where are Sirius and Dumbledore?" Harry was the one who had now taken up pacing.

"They will be here, Harry; now come sit down, dear." Mrs Weasley patted the seat on her other side and with a sigh Harry gave in and did as he was told.

It was a few minutes later that the Headmaster returned with both Sirius and Snape in toe and Harry was swept up into a crushing hug by his godfather.

"How are you doing, Harry?"

"I am okay, Sirius, just nervous." Harry admitted.

"Draco." Sirius pulled the girl to her feet and pulled her into a much more gentle hug, "Well look at you; really no doubting that you are pregnant now, right?"

Draco looked down as she ran her hand over growing belly, "Definitely."

"Are you doing okay?" Sirius asked her; a hand on each side of her face to make her look at him.

Draco managed a small smile as she nodded at him. "Like Harry said, just nervous."

"Well, we will all be there for you, nothing to be nervous about." Dumbledore assured them.

"You're coming with us, Sir?" Draco asked Professor Snape with a confused expression.

"Indeed, I have some information that I feel that the Wizengamot should be made aware of." Snape told them as if this cleared up all of their questions.

"Now we are all present, shall we proceed to the Ministry?" The Headmaster suggested, waving a hand towards the fireplace.

"Will someone go through with Draco? I don't want her going on her own but my history of floo landings is not the best." Harry looked a bit embarrassed.

"Of course dear, I will go with her." Mrs Weasley assured him.

"I will go first." Dumbledore told them taking a small amount of powder; stepping into the fireplace and sending himself to the Ministry.

Mrs Weasley and Draco went next, closely followed by Sirius and suddenly Harry realised he had ended up alone in the headmaster's office with Snape.

"After you, Mr Potter."

Harry didn't wait to be told twice and quickly followed the others through. As he had predicted, it was only thanks to Sirius that he managed to stay on his feet at the other end and he quickly took Draco's hand in his own, as they waited the couple of short moments it took for the Potions master to join them.

Harry had never been to the ministry before and found himself looking around in awe as they headed towards the main atrium; it was a lot bigger than he had anticipated and it struck him that perhaps there were a lot more witches and wizards in the world than he had thought.

Dumbledore seemed to know where he was going and so led the way; when Harry noticed the many eyes turning towards their party he was glad that Sirius and Mrs Weasley were on either side of him and Draco. Professor Snape was close behind them and Harry wondered with the adults had made the conscious decision to surround them.

"Wand, Name and reason for your visit." Droned a poorly groomed and extremely bored looking man.

"Albus Dumbledore, fifteen inches, elder, thestral tail hair. Here for the Potter hearing." The headmaster told him as he handed the man his wand. Once he had finished doing whatever he had was doing with the wand it was returned to Dumbledore with a small silver badge, which he pinned to his chest.

Mrs Weasley did the same before pulling Draco forward.

"Draco Potter, ten inches, hawthorn, unicorn hair."

"For the Potter hearing I assume." The man asked in his monotone voice.

"Yes." Draco accepted back her wand and her new silver badge.

"Next."

"Harry Potter, eleven inches, holly, phoenix feather." Harry said as he stepped up next to Draco. "For the Potter hearing."

It didn't take long for Sirius and Snape to have their wands registered and be given badges and soon the group were on their way across the lobby; doing their best to ignore the heads that turned to watch them and the whispers which seemed to surround them. It was a relief when they crowded into one of the lifts, Dumbledore selected level two and the crowds of people disappeared from view.

"Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement." The lift informed them.

"This is us." Dumbledore told them, leading them out of the lift into a bustling corridor.

People were going from one room to another with piles of papers, folders and books, stopping to have quick conversations with colleagues and Harry almost jumped with surprise when a paper aeroplane narrowly missed his head. It was a strange sight, seeing all these Ministry employees going about their day and Harry supposed he had never really imagined what life would be like for  witches and wizards after they left school.

"Ah, Dumbledore, they are just finishing up with their previous meeting, do take a seat." A tall kindly looking gentleman, who looked to be in his early twenties, told them, indicating a small room with a glass wall; inside there seemed to be a lot of seats and Harry supposed this was a waiting room.

"Thank you, Jamieson." Dumbledore gave him a warm smile, "Don't suppose there is any chance for a cup of tea?"

"Of course, Sir. Anyone else want one?" He offered.

They all shook their heads and watched as his hurried off down the corridor to fetch the Headmaster his beverage before taking their seats as instructed. Draco sat close to Harry and leaned her head onto his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her, gently stroking her hair.

Jamieson returned a few minutes later with a cup of tea and Harry caught him casting curious glances at his forehead and Draco's belly.

"Yes, I am Harry Potter and yes she is pregnant. Anything else you would like to know?" Harry snapped.

Jamieson looked shocked but shook his head and mumbled an apology, before leaving hastily. Sirius gave Harry a sympathetic look and Snape seemed to be watching him calculatingly as if he had never seen him before.

It was maybe five minutes later that Jamieson returned. "They are ready for you now."

Getting to their feet the group followed him down a hall way ; Draco was holding onto Harry's hand with a death grip.

"Well, well, well..."

Harry felt Draco stiffen next to him and his grip tighten, as Lucius' voice sounded came from in front of Dumbledore. They looked up to see the tall blonde man examining the group with his eyes, Narcissa Malfoy just to  his side. While Lucius took his time to look at all of them in turn, Draco's mother only had eyes for the young pregnant girl who used to be her son.

"I do so hope today goes well for you," he seemed to almost be playing with the words, letting them roll leisurely off his tongue as if he had all the time in the world. "It would be such a terrible shame for that child to have to be taken from its parents and given a real home."

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Sirius pushed passed Dumbledore and moved into Lucius personal space.

Narcissa cast a nervous glance at her husband and biting her lip, she seemed to decide he was distracted enough. She quickly stepped around Mrs Weasley till she was right in front of Harry and Draco.

"Now now, Black, it wouldn't do for you to act to rashly given you are currently in the Magical Law Enforcement offices." Lucius was carrying on, oblivious to his wife. "Besides I was simply here to meet with the committee deciding the fate of your godson's offspring, explaining why it would be best for all involved if the child was raised in my care."

Harry could feel Draco trembling against him and was sure she was crying silently, frozen at the sudden unexpected sight of her mother in front of her.

"I love you, Draco; I never have and never will want to let you go; no matter what you will always be my child. I Love you." Narcissa told her.

"Lucius, you have made your point but this is neither the time nor the place," Snape was speaking calmly. "It would be best not to make a scene. Allow Harry and Draco their chance to make their case and let the committee decide; it would not do for you to not respect the legal jurisdiction here."

Narcissa however continued to whisper "You really are a very beautiful girl and I am sure you will be a great mother; don't let your father win on this one." She told her as she gently wiped away the tears from Draco's face.

"Very well, Severus; I hope you have no chosen your allies unwisely." Malfoy snarled. "NARCISSA!" He yelled, finally realising what his wife was doing. "We are leaving... NOW!" He took a firm grip on her arm and practically stormed from the department.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked Draco hesitantly.

"I think so." Draco sounded out of breath and shaky. "My mother still loves me." She told him as it was just starting to sink in.

"Yes, she does." Harry agreed, kissing Draco's forehead and pulling her into a hug. "How could she not."

"We really must go, the committee is waiting." Jamieson eventually got up the courage to interrupt the moment; they all followed him as they rounded the corner and opened a door.

The room was not small but also not so large that it was intimidating; in truth it was far more relaxed in atmosphere than Harry had anticipated.

"Mr and Mrs Potter, would you take a seat please." A grey haired, middle aged lady wearing a monocle and Harry supposed he would describe her as square-jawed and serious looking. "My name is Amelia Bones, I am the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Harry and Draco quickly took their seats on the two chairs in the middle of the room and took a moment to take in the panel of people in front of them. There were five people, including Ms Bones.

To her right were two elderly gentlemen who both had stern expressions and calculating gazes and to her left were a kindly looking witch who looked to be in her thirties, who hadn't stopped smiling since they had come into the room, and a tall, slender man, who seemed to have a problem with his glasses as he would push them back up his nose every few minutes.

"Could you first introduce us to those you have with you and explain why they have attended with you?"

"Madam Bones, if you, and the Potters..." Dumbledore gazed at Harry and Draco over his glasses, "will allow me."

Harry and Draco nodded enthusiastically, not wanting to say the wrong thing, preferring to defer to the headmaster and Amelia Bones dipped her head in consent.

"I am Albus Dumbledore and am acting as legal counsel for both Harry and Draco Potter. In attendance with us we have Molly Weasley and Sirius Black, who Harry and Draco have selected as additional guardians to their child, and Severus Snape, who has been studying the mixture of potions which caused Draco's gender transformation and has found some pertinent information that we both felt was worth sharing."

"Thank you Dumbledore." Amelia looked to her right, "Allow me to introduce Mr Damian Narrat, who specialises in Family legacies and legal heirs... " The man on the end of the row nodded stiffly. "... and his colleague Mr Thomas Cretio, who is a legal historian, who specialises in family law."

Mr Cretio gave them a small smile which Harry and Draco both nervously returned. Madam Bones however was moving on to her other side.

"We also have Madam Bethany Coram, who is the head of Child services and Mr Garran Sylus, who will be writing a full record of today's meeting. I would like to start by just confirming the details I already have; you were married on August 5th of last year?"

Harry and Draco nodded.

"And you are currently about seven months pregnant?"

They nodded again.

"So that makes the conception of this child late August or very early September, unless I am mistaken."

"September 2nd." Draco said quietly, earning raised eyebrows from all the adults in the room.

"You are certain?" Madam Bones asked.

They both nodded again, "It was the only time that is even close to the right date." Harry clarified nervously.

"I see..." It was apparent, from the rather bemused expression that were on display around the room, that they had all been assuming they had been having sex on a far more frequent basis than they actually had. "I assume you were rather surprised to have fallen pregnant so quickly?" Madam Bones expression softened as she watched Draco for her response.

"Very surprised." Draco told her. "We both were." Harry reached over and squeezed her hand in comfort.

"If I might interrupt the information I have discovered in the last few days may be of relevance at this point." Snape said as he stepped forwards.

"By all means, Professor." Madam Bones consented.

"I have been conducting research on the specific combination of potions which fell on Draco towards the end of the previous academic year; it seems that other than the obvious gender changes there were a couple of other more subtle changes which occurred." Snape waved his wand and summoned a folder which he placed on the table in front of Madam Bones.

Draco looked slightly alarmed, surely she had been through enough with finding out a whole list of other side effects from the accident. Professor Snape however ignored her and continued with his explanation.

"The Malfoy's have never been short in stature and my tests indicate that her petite build is a result of several measures of shrinking solution, this should not cause any harm or problems. However more prudent to the situation is a combination of several tinctures that when mixed I believe may have acted as a fertility potion."

"And you believe this is the reason Mrs Potter fell pregnant so quickly and easily." Madam Bones asked as she read over the notes in front of her.

"I believe it was a contributing factor, yes. I do not believe that Mr and Mrs Potter may have acted quite as irresponsibly as was first believed."

"Very well, we will take this into consideration." Madam Bones nodded and handed the file off to Mr Sylus. "Can you talk me through your choices in additional guardians?"

"Sirius is my godfather, this child will more or less be a grandchild to him anyway and Mrs Weasley has been the closest thing I have had to a mother for most of my life, so the same can be said for her." Harry answered quickly.

"So these are both your choices, Mr Potter?"

"No, Sirius is my family too;" Draco defended."My mother is his cousin. Sirius has taken amazing care of me since I have been with Harry."

"Mr Black and Mrs Weasley, I need you to both understand that you would be held responsible for ensuring that Mr and Mrs Potter are providing a suitable environment for raising this child. If you agree to this I need you to sign these forms." Madam Bones pulled out two simple documents; Sirius and Molly didn't hesitate to pick up quills and sign.

"Now I have one last major concern, which is your Education and your future careers."

"Well, that is something I can help you with." Dumbledore told her happily launching into a detailed explanation of their plan, complete with timetables.

"Well I have to admit you do seem to have covered all your bases and this does seem like an excellent plan." Madam Bones agreed. "I think we have all the information we require, we just need Mrs Potter to be examined by a ministry appointed healer. Madam Coram will take you next door where there should be a healer waiting."

Madam Coram got up from the desk and led them all from the room. "If the rest of you will just wait here. Follow me Mrs Potter."

"Harry?" Draco clutched to Harry's hand not wanting to go alone.

"Madam?" Harry asked gently, "Can I come with her?"

"Please, I don't want to go on my own."

Madam Coram sighed softly, "I do understand, dear, but it is against policy..."

"Draco is a very nervous, pregnant fifteen year old girl, who not only used to be a boy but has also had almost everyone she trusted betray her; including one of her peers attempting to sexually assault her." Snape sounded stern and brisk, his words were blunt and his annoyance at the Ministry worker was clear.

"You are asking her to go with you, a complete stranger, into an unknown room, to be poked and prodded by another complete stranger; I do not believe her request to have her husband with her is an unreasonable request."

Madam Coram seemed to think for a moment before she nodded her consent.

"I will allow it, however, Mr Potter, you must stand to one side and not get in the way or interfere in anyway; if you do so I will have no choice but to remove you from the room. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly." Harry nodded and wrapped an arm over Draco's shoulder as they followed Madam Coram into the other room.


	17. A Decision Made

_Previously: _

_"You are asking her to go with you, a complete stranger, into an unknown room, to be poked and prodded by another complete stranger; I do not believe her request to have her husband with her is an unreasonable request."_

_Madam Coram seemed to think for a moment before she nodded her consent._

_"I will allow it, however, Mr Potter, you must stand to one side and not get in the way or interfere in anyway; if you do so I will have no choice but to remove you from the room. Is that clear?"_

_"Perfectly." Harry nodded and wrapped an arm over Draco's shoulder as they followed Madam Coram into the other room._

-#-

The group all returned to Dumbledore's office and Draco, at least, was hoping to ask Snape about the research he had shown at the hearing.

"So who would like a cup of tea?" Dumbledore offered cheerily, summoning chairs with a wave of his wand; smiling as Molly nodded and sat down.

"I don't know about everyone else, but I think that went about as well as can be expected." Sirius declared, throwing himself into one of the comfortable chairs the Headmaster had summoned.

"Though I am disinclined to ever agree with you on any subject, Black," Snape sneered as he took his seat with a great deal more grace. "I will concur that it was promising."

Rolling his eyes at their banter Harry and Draco took the two remaining seats and accepted cups of tea from the Headmaster.

"You think they will rule in our favour?" Harry asked.

"I think that is most likely, Harry." Dumbledore told him over the top of his glasses, "Of course I cannot guarantee anything but Madam Bones is nothing if not fair, and she seemed most impressed with you both."

"Thank you, Sir." Draco said with a small smile. "I was wondering though..."

"About Professor Snape's findings? Yes , I rather imagine so;" Dumbledore smiled as he looked at Draco over the top of his glasses. "I am sure if you were to ask him any questions he would do his utmost to provide you with answers."

"Err, Professor... do you really think that I was shrunk?" Draco asked slightly nervously.

Snape raised an eyebrow as he looked questioningly at Draco; that had not been the question he had expected her to start with. He nodded, "I believe so, after all your parents, as well as your grandparents, were all relatively tall individuals and you are particularly ... petite."

"Would it be possible to reverse the effects of the shrinking solution on their own?" Mrs Weasley enquired.

"It may be possible," Snape told them and appeared to be thinking it through, "though I would have to conduct a few additional tests to be sure. I would be happy to do so if that was Draco's wish."

Draco however was shaking her head, "No thank you, it has taken me quite long enough to get used to my new body as it is without changing it again. Besides, people see tiny little me and automatically assume I am no threat; I kind of like the element of surprise that gives me."

Harry chuckled; "Yeah and you like that, with you being so small and light, I don't mind carrying you around when you get tired." he mumbled under his breath.

"Yeah, okay, that too." Draco conceded quietly; making the adults all chuckle to themselves.

Draco looked apprehensive; she had mostly wanted to discuss the shrinking before the fertility changes as it was far less personal and didn't potentially involve discussing her and Harry's sex life with the four most parental figures in their lives.

"The... other change..." Draco's nervousness was obvious and Snape took pity on her.

"Yes, I really do believe that your body is producing particularly extreme levels of hormones, which is likely not only why you fell pregnant so quickly, but also why you have experienced fairly bad morning sickness and other symptoms."

"So it really wasn't completely our fault...?" Harry gave Sirius a small smile, who shook his head slightly disbelievingly.

"Oh, no, Mr Potter;" Snape was almost smiling at being able to tell Harry off, "I think we all agree that it IS your fault that you got your fifteen year old wife pregnant."

Harry flushed and hung his head, "Sorry." he mumbled.

Rolling her eyes at the potions master, Draco gave Harry's hand a small squeeze in support."So, will I always get pregnant that easily...? I mean it is one thing for us to have this one child but I don't want to spend the rest of my life pregnant or trying to avoid becoming pregnant; I am also pretty sure we don't want THAT many children." Draco looked at Harry for confirmation.

"Yeah, I think we would both rather that we waited at least a couple of years before adding to our family; this was already more than we had bargained for." Harry agreed.

"Honestly, Draco, I cannot give you an answer on that; it is possible that following this pregnancy that your body will learn to balance itself but we will not know until Madam Pomfrey and I do some tests after the birth." Snape explained

"and then I hope the two of you can manage to be sensible until we have managed to find an effective contraception for you to use." Mrs Weasley told them both with a stern smile.

Draco and Harry both nodded, hoping beyond hope that they could just stop talking about this now.

"Well this conversation is suitably awkward." Sirius pointed out unnecessarily. "Perhaps we should call it a day." He nearly wasn't able to hold back a laugh when he saw Harry's grateful smile.

"I believe Sirius has a point," Dumbledore told them with a happy clap of his hands, "it is almost lunch time and I am sure your friends will be pleased to see you join them in the great hall."

Taking this as a dismissal, the Potter's both hugged and thanks Molly and Sirius before leaving the headmaster's office.

"That wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be." Draco confessed as she tucked herself under her husband's arm on their way to the great hall.

"Agreed," Harry smiled at her, "can you believe we might actually have managed it?"

"Hopefully, one more week and we will have an answer." Draco said. "Are you worried about the stuff Professor Snape was talking about; the unexpected changes?"

"Not in the slightest." Harry told her honestly, "We will just have to be careful about using protection and I kind of like you pocket sized."

"I am not THAT small." Draco protested, playfully hitting Harry on the chest with the back of her hand. "You aren't worried that there are other things that the potions changed that we haven't worked out yet?"

Harry stopped walking and turned Draco around to face him, "There might not be anything else and if we do later find that there is, we will deal with it just like we have everything else; one day at a time."

Draco looked thoughtful for a few moments before rewarding Harry with a pleased smile, "Okay, yeah, you are right." She agreed, "Given our luck, you can understand how I would be... apprehensive."

"I do understand, but I don't want you to worry; the stress isn't good for you or the baby." Harry kissed her forehead.

"And my mother," Draco looked thoughtful, "I don't even know what to think about that."

"Honestly, Draco, me neither." Harry admitted. "She is as stuck under your father's thumb as you used to be but her words gave me hope, that one day, maybe, you will get her back."

"Yeah, maybe." Though Draco didn't sound convinced.

 "Now," Harry gave her a chaste kiss, "let's go sit in the great hall and wait for the others and lunch."

-#-

"You're back already." Hermione stated rather obviously when she slid into a seat opposite Harry and Draco at the Gryffindor table; Ron took the seat next to her and Blaise sat next to Draco.

"Oh my, Harry, we're back, had you noticed." Draco exclaimed in mock shock.

"Very funny, Draco. So how did it go?" Hermione asked.

"Well we think it went fairly well actually; apart from a minor confrontation with Lucius Malfoy." Harry scowled as he spoke the man's name.

"Malfoy was there?" Ron asked with a look of disgust.

Draco nodded, "The committee had to meet with him as well, to hear his arguments; he was just leaving as we arrived. Mother was there too."

Blaise squeezed Draco's hand, "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I am; she told me I was still her child and that she still loved me." Draco smiled to herself at the memory, "She didn't abandon me, Blaise, she still wants me." she had tears on her face and Blaise pulled her into a hug.

"I am happy for you, Draco." He told her. "Really happy for you."

"We really should have known it was all Lucius." Ron bitched, "No offence, Draco, but that man is a monster."

"None taken, Ron. I agree." Draco told him as she let go of Blaise.

"Do you want to tell them about the potions stuff?" Harry whispered to her under the guise of kissing her temple.

Draco smiled at him and gave him a small nod. "Snape came with us to the meeting too." She told them just as food appeared on the table and they all started to help themselves to lunch.

"Really? What for?" Hermione asked as she frowned in confusion.

"He had some pertinent information." Harry told her, pouring juice into each of their goblets, "He has been studying the mix of potions that fell on Draco during the accident and found a few interesting things."

"Interesting things..." Draco rolled her eyes, "Apparently it was a dose of shrinking solution which left me this short; should have guessed that really given how tall both my parents are."

"You are tiny," Hermione commented, but she ignored the glare it earned her from Draco and carried on,"... so that makes sense, but what does that have to do with your case?" she asked, pausing in cutting open a pear and furrowing her brow in thought as though she was missing something.

"Oh, nothing really but another sort of side effect of the potions is my hormones are a bit off." Draco scrunched her nose as if the thought of the hormones annoyed her, "And that apparently has made me way more fertile than is normal; it is likely the reason we fell pregnant so easily."

"Yeah," Harry mumbled under his breath, "getting pregnant first time takes quite some luck."

"Wait," Blaise leaned forward, "...first time?"

Harry and Draco both nodded.

"Merlin, you two really are bloody fertile and must have great timing." Blaise shook his head in amazement, "Are you always going to get knocked up that easily?"

"I really hope not." Draco told him honestly. "We will have to do some tests and see if my body manages to use this pregnancy to normalise itself but if not Snape and Madam Pomfrey will helps us to work something out."

"Is this why you have had some pretty bad morning sickness?" Hermione pondered.

Draco nodded, "Professor Snape seemed to think that was likely."

"So what did the committee say?" Ron asked eagerly, his patience apparently having worn out; either that or he wanted to move the conversation away from hormones and morning sickness, in an attempt to not destroy his appetite.

"We won't hear their decision for about another week or so." Harry explained. "Pretty sure I am going to be more on edge because of waiting this week, than all the time we had to wait for the meeting."

Draco nodded her agreement, "I am not going to be able to stop looking to the sky and out of windows for owls."

-#-

Harry was not sure if it was the pregnancy or the stresses and anxieties about the impending decision from the ministry committee, but Draco's mood had been all over the place all week. She had been sent out of two classes because she had suddenly burst into tears, she had made Harry sleep on their sofa one night because he was 'deliberately breathing loudly' and had thrown a full temper tantrum when Harry had been unable to fix the pain in her back and legs.

At the moment however, Draco was thoroughly enjoying putting everyone else off their lunch by eating her way through a large bowl of pickled onions, which she followed with chocolate ice-cream.

"I don't feel so good." Dean told them; he did look quite unwell and yet was unable to look away. "How is that not making you ill?"

"Is amazing." Draco moaned through a mouthful of ice-cream.

Harry chuckled, far too used to odd food combinations Draco had taken to eating, to be bothered by it. "If it keeps Draco and our son happy, then she can eat whatever she likes."

"Oh... carrots, I really want carrots, raw ones." Draco told her husband with a smile.

Apparently the house elves were listening in because it was only a few seconds later that a bowl appeared in front of them, full of carrot slices. Draco grinned as she took four of them and dipped them in the ice-cream.

"Oh that is so wrong." Ron sighed.

Draco ate the chocolate ice-cream coated carrot sticks extra slowly, her amused eyes watching Ron's reaction. Humming in contentment as the food was definitely what she had been craving.

Ron was about to comment when a small parliament of owls swooped into the hall to deliver various packages and letters to students and staff; this had, as it had all week, gotten both Harry and Draco's full attention. Their friends had learned not to try to talk to them when post was being delivered, after Seamus had ended up with a bowl of peas poured down his front by Draco, when he had made that mistake the day after the hearing .

A very plain looking tawny owl landed elegantly on the table in front of the Potters, the letter it was carrying clearly showing the Ministry seal. Hermione handed the owl a few knuts in payment and waved the animal away, leaving the letter on the table.

"Maybe we should go somewhere a little more... private." Blaise suggested.

Harry nodded slowly and helped Draco to her feet; she was staring at the letter as if it might explode, vanish or start attaching them at any second.

"Come on, Love." he told her gently, pulling her against his side and leading her from the hall; nodding his thanks as Blaise picked up the letter from the table and followed them.

-#-

Draco was pacing, "I should just read it, at least I will have an answer." She mumbled to herself. "But what if it is bad news...?"

"Draco, Love, please just sit." Harry pleaded, taking her by the hands and leading her to one of their chairs; she tried to fight him a little but he managed to get her shoes off and start massaging her feet and calves; soon Draco relaxed into the comfortable chair with a sigh, her eyes falling closed.

 "Shall I?" Blaise asked, indicating the letter in his hand.

Harry looked up and smiled at the sight of all their friends around them, though Seamus, Neville and Dean were hovering nervously near the door, as if unsure if they were welcome.

"Everyone sit down, and then yes, if you would, Blaise, that might be best." Harry agreed.

The others took seats around them, the Gryffindor boys somehow managing to all fit onto the sofa and pull Hermione so that she was now sitting on a fiercely blushing Ron. Blaise laughed at them before taking the remaining chair and sliding a finger under the ministry seal to open the letter.

"Mr and Mrs Potter," Blaise started reading and when Draco took a shuddering breath that sounded a lot like she was about to cry, Harry took her hands in his own, nodding for Blaise to continue. " We are writing to inform you of the decision reached by the committee with whom you met, on the twenty-second March."

Harry was struggling to sit still, his leg twitching something rotten as the anxiety built; he had promised Draco this would be okay, this letter would change their lives and Blaise was reading it calmly and slowly and Harry felt trapped somewhere between annoyance and grateful.

"Given your excellent and well thought out plans," Blaise went on, "... the sufficient support systems you have put into place and your son's place as a legitimate Potter heir; we are delighted..."

Draco actually squealed with joy as she threw herself into Harry's arms, both their faces quickly covered in tears as Blaise continued to read.

"...to tell you that the committee has approved your requested to allow you to remain your son's full time guardians from birth."

"Thank Merlin." Hermione said, as all the Gryffindors hugged each other.

" Sirius Orion Black and Molly Weasley have been appointed as additional guardians; they will receive correspondence soon, detailing their responsibilities." He read on, "A ministry official from child services will visit you at three month intervals, for one year, to ensure that your son is being suitably cared for; the parental rights granted to you by the committee are subject to the findings during these visits. All the best for the future, blah de blah... Madam A. Bones." Blaise finished; he carefully folded up the letter and put in on the mantel piece.

"He is all ours Harry, no-one is going to take him; you really did do it." Draco was sobbing into Harry's shoulder.

He picked her up carefully, taking a seat in the chair and holding her sideways on his lap, so that he could run a hand over her now very large baby bump. "All ours." He confirmed, kissing the tears from her cheeks. "I love you."

"I love you too." Draco told him quietly, resting her head on his shoulder. "We are really going to be parents." She whispered.

Ron laughed, "Did you only just work that bit out, Draco?"

"No, not really, but it feels a whole lot more real now." Draco tried to explain, her tiny hands holding Harry's larger one on her belly.

"About two months and we will have a baby," Harry said slowly and quietly, as if in dawning realisation, "one who relies on us for everything."

"You guys will be fine." Blaise reassured, "Besides if that baby is half as cute as the pair of you, then everyone is going to want to help out."

"I'm not cute!" Both Harry and Draco insisted in sync, glaring at the Slytherin boy across from them.

This however didn't have the desired effect as all their friends burst out laughing. It took several minutes before they gave up glaring at their friend in annoyance and after sharing a amused expression with each other, the young couple gave in and laughed along.


	18. Slytherin Politics

_ Previously: _

_"About two months and we will have a baby," Harry said slowly and quietly, as if in dawning realisation, "one who relies on us for everything."_

_"You guys will be fine." Blaise reassured, "Besides if that baby is half as cute as the pair of you, then everyone is going to want to help out."_

_"I'm not cute!" Both Harry and Draco insisted in sync, glaring at the Slytherin boy across from them._

_This however didn't have the desired effect as all their friends burst out laughing and after sharing a amused expression with each other, the young couple gave in and laughed with them._

\- #-

"Are you sure you should be walking around down here, Mrs Potter?" Pansy sneered, "I didn't know Mr Potter's leash stretched this far; you should run back to the Gryffindors before something unfortunate happens."

"Seriously, Pansy, what the HELL is your problem?" Draco yelled; both her and Blaise turning on the spot to glare at Pansy.

"It isn't like you are really even a Slytherin anymore; just a pathetic _tiny_ little girl who doesn't fit in anywhere." Pansy said with a smirk as she approached them, looking down on Draco to emphasis the half a foot height difference between them.

"Not a Slytherin?" Draco laughed, throwing Blaise an obviously amused look and taking a mental note of the other students that had begun to gather around them, having heard raised voices. "You are kidding right, Pansy?"

"Not at all, Draco, all you are now is a Gryffindor's little pet." She declared loudly.

"Oh Pansy..." Draco said with a sigh full of sympathy for the other girl’s ignorance. "One year ago I lost everything, my friends, my family, my future; but, despite being left with nothing, I am now married to a man most women would give up their magic to be with, eight months pregnant with his heir and have friends who have my back.” She pointed out proudly and somewhat snobbishly. “What is your future, Pansy? Have your family managed to find you someone else to marry, given that the Draco Malfoy you were promised to doesn't even exist anymore?"

Pansy had paled slightly and had her fists clenched; Draco smirked at the sight, he was right, the Parkinson family had failed to find a new husband for their daughter. The students all around them were whispering and muttering; Draco Potter humiliating Pansy Parkinson, this was going to be the talk of the school. At least Draco hoped it would, she was tired of being looked down on and was going to take back their respect.

"That's what I thought.” Draco said; wearing the smirk she had so little use for in recent months. “So in one year I have become a better woman that you have managed to learn to be in the last fifteen years; I have managed to restore my place in society from the nothing I was left with and you still want to tell me you are the better Slytherin?" Draco chuckled and shared a look with Blaise, who was leaning casually against the wall of the corridor a few paces away.

Draco let her eyes scan the crowds with a smirk, but it faltered when she met the eyes of Ginny; her red hair making her stand out in the crowd and a look of anger and triumph on her face. She gave Draco a small devious smile before turning and disappearing into the mass of students.

"Shit." Draco mumbled, shoving passed Pansy and rushed after Ginny, as much as her heavily pregnant body would allow.

"DRACO!" Blaise yelled after her.

The crowds parted allowing Draco to make her way surprisingly quickly; she was vaguely aware of Snape clearing people from the corridors, sending them on their way and of Blaise jogging slowly to catch up with her.

"Where are you going?" Blaise asked as he caught up.

"Ginny." Draco said, not slowing her pace and hoping it was enough for Blaise to understand.

"Shit." Blaise whispered, taking Draco by the elbow to make sure she didn't trip in her haste.

-#-

"Harry!" Ginny called out as she rounded the corner and spotted him walking down the corridor.

"Ginny?" Harry turned and looked at her curiously. "You okay?"

"I knew she was up to something." Ginny told him as she caught up with him.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked with confusion written all over his face.

"Draco; she is playing you, Harry." Ginny practically spat at him.

"Don't be stupid, Ginny; that's my wife and the mother of my child you are talking about, tread carefully." Harry warned, his eyes flaring with annoyance.

"She practically just yelled it at Parkinson in front of half the school; bragging about how she had managed to get you and how she was pregnant with your heir." Ginny said, her nose screwed up in distaste.

Harry laughed, "Grow up, Ginny; and stay the hell out of other people's business. I thought Draco was exaggerating when she told me you had some issue with her." Harry said as he shook his head with disappointment.

-#-

As Harry and Ginny's voices came into ear shot, Draco and Blaise stopped at the corner, wanting to hear what they were saying before barging in.

"... was exaggerating when she told me you have some issue with her." Harry was almost growling.

"She is just with you because you're Harry Potter...!" Ginny yelled

Harry was having none of it though and interrupted, "Draco loves me, and I am secure enough in my marriage to know that for sure."

Draco smiled, she had been worried that Ginny would recount what she had yelled at Pansy and Harry would take it the wrong way; she felt kind of stupid for ever doubting Harry's faith in her.

"Of course Draco is going to play it up to look like she seduced me for a place in society and for my name; that is all that many of those Slytherins would be able to understand." Harry's voice was tense as he tried not to yell, "Don't you go thinking that you could ever possibly know my wife better than I do, Ginny."

Ginny gaped, "She really has you wrapped around her finger."

Harry laughed again, "Yes, she does; but because we love and trust each other and not because of some daft scheme you have dreamed up in your own imagination, Ginny.” Harry told her, his patience clearly wearing out. “You need to either get over this or stay away from us, Ginny. This pathetic attempt to damage my relationship just proves to me what a child you are; I am really disappointed in you. Your family would be too and hope you never give me cause to tell them."

"Harry." Draco greeted as she stepped around the corner; Blaise following a few paces behind.

Harry looked up, the intense look on his face fading to a smile at the sight of her, "Hey, Love." he greeted; "Hi, Blaise." he added when he spotted him.

Draco made her way over to them and gave Ginny a victorious smirk when Harry pulled her against his side and kissed the top of her head. "Is everything okay?" Draco asked, allowing herself to lean casually against him, his arm around her back.

"Everything is fine, Draco; Ginny just misunderstood what you were saying to Miss Parkinson." Harry assured her, whilst still staring at Ginny with distrust. "No harm done, I clarified everything for her."

"Oh, okay. I am tired; you want to join me for a nap?" Draco asked him, her smirk growing at the disgusted look on Ginny's face.

"I’m not tired, but I will happily keep you company." Harry offered, "Later, Ginny. I suggest you have a think about what I told you."

Harry, Draco and Blaise left a rather stunned and upset looking Ginny standing in the corridor alone.

"Thank you for trusting me." Draco whispered when they turned the corridor.

"Always." Harry promised, "You had already warned me about Ginny and I know you have been looking for a chance to restore your place with the Slytherins again; I assumed this was related to that."

Blaise chuckled, "That you figured that out so quickly shows a surprisingly Slytherin side to you, Harry."

"I was nearly sorted into Slytherin, you know." Harry told them with a wink; laughing at the disbelieving looks of shock on their faces.

-#-

Draco walked into their room and leaned on the back of the sofa, where Harry was sitting, peering over his shoulder to see what he was reading; it looked to be a book on defence of some kind. Draco rolled her eyes; of all subjects, that was the one Harry didn't need to do additional work in.

"You okay, Love?" Harry asked casually, not even looking up from his book.

Draco chuckled softly, placing a kiss on her husband's temple. "I was thinking we should sit at the Slytherin table tomorrow."

Harry turned to look up at her in surprise. "I am assuming this is part of your 'prove I am still the greatest Slytherin' plan?" he asked.

"Of course; sitting at the Gryffindor table doesn't exactly send the message I am going for." Draco told him with a devious little smirk. "Besides, getting Harry Potter to sit at the Slytherin table will make them think twice about questioning me again."

Harry looked thoughtful for a few seconds, before nodding, "Sure, I don't see why not. Hell maybe we can get Ron and Hermione to join us too; they will never question your Slytherin powers again if you can get a Weasley to sit at their table."

Draco laughed, "I will let you make that request." She told him.

"Coward." Harry said with a mock horrified look on his face.

"I am allowed to be, Love; that is why I keep my brave Gryffindor husband around to protect me." Draco told him with a huge grin, kissing his temple again quickly and heading back into their bedroom before Harry could come up with a retort.

-#-

"Your letter gave me a good laugh, mate." Ron told Harry the next morning, as they all walked down for breakfast.

Draco tried to hide her smirk and noticed that Hermione was doing the same; it seemed she may have understood that Harry had been serious about his request, even if Ron had not.

"It was not intended as a joke, Ron." Harry told him, sounding somewhere between annoyed and frustrated, "I am going to sit with Draco and Blaise at the Slytherin table; we would be grateful if you would join us."

Ron looked horrified.

"But if you are going to react like that, then by all means sit at the Gryffindor table." Harry said with a frown, "Last thing we need is your half hearted attempts at loyalty." He told him, turning his attention to Draco, more to ignore Ron than anything.

Ron audibly sighed, "Okay, fine; point taken. Slytherin table it is."

"Thanks, Ron." Harry said with a smile, glad that it hadn’t taken much to sway him.

"What's going on?" Blaise asked as they reached where he was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs.

"We..." Draco indicated their small group, with a pleased grin "... are going to have breakfast at the Slytherin table."

Blaise's eyebrows practically disappeared into his hair in surprise, "Really?"

"Really." Ron mumbled under his breath, sounding quite depressed and defeated over the whole matter.

"Come on, I'm hungry." Hermione told them happily and linked arms with Draco, practically dragging her into the great hall.

Harry and Blaise trailed a few paces behind them; Ron seemed to be struggling not to stamp his feet as he reluctantly followed.

"Thanks for doing this." Blaise whispered to Harry.

"Was Draco's idea." Harry told him with a shrug.

"But you didn't have to go along with it." he countered.

Harry shrugged again, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I am not exactly very good at telling her no."

Blaise laughed loudly, taking a seat opposite Hermione and Draco, next to Harry; Ron taking the seat on Harry's other side. None of them were oblivious to the looks they were receiving but were pointedly ignoring them in favour of helping themselves to generous servings of the meal in front of them.

"Ouch!" Draco exclaimed suddenly, a hand pressed against her belly.

Harry was already half way to his feet when she indicated for him to sit back down. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"Yes, fine, if your son would quit his vendetta against my kidneys." Draco said as she threw him a mildly annoyed look.

Harry got up and moved around the table behind Draco; squatting down behind her he began to massage her back. "Now, come on, Son; leave your mother's kidneys alone, she needs them." He whispered, only loud enough for Draco and Hermione to hear, making them bite their lips to restrain their giggles.

"Honestly, Potter, this is a dining hall; people are eating and how are we supposed to able to keep our food down with such a sickening sight right in front of us?" Pansy's droll voice announcing her presence. "And I suppose that you think that just because Draco and Blaise are Slytherins that we will allow you to sit here?"

"Honestly Pansy, we don't care what you will or won't allow." Blaise told her with a roll of his eyes.

Harry stood up; "It isn't up to you Parkinson; Draco and Blaise invited us to sit here and so here we are." he threw her a smirk as he kissed the top of Draco's head, moving back around the table to retake his seat.

"Do you have nothing you want to say, Draco?" Pansy grinned, "Or have you gone back to hiding behind your husband?"

Draco chuckled quietly and when she looked up, she was wearing the most victorious of smirks. "Oh, Pansy, you do think so very much of yourself; don't you? Just because I had nothing to say to you doesn't mean I am hiding behind anyone." She spoke slowly, clearly and with an air of perfect calm, "Now why don't you be a dear and eat some breakfast; I would hate to think you would have to go hungry till lunch."

Draco turned her attention back to her own food, starting an easy conversation about study practices with Hermione. Pansy stared, blinking slowly, unable to take her eyes from the small blonde, who had so easy and casually dismissed her; how had she come to matter so little to Draco that she was no longer even considered worth arguing with.

She took a deep breath to stop the tears that were threatening to form and moved down the hall to a clear seat. She ate in silence; several other Slytherins sat and spoke at her but she could not have told anyone what any of them had said.

Pansy managed to force herself not to watch Draco and friends as they ate their breakfast, but watched somewhat sadly as they left the hall together twenty minutes later talking happily. She looked down at her plate on which there was two pieces of toast and scrambled egg; she didn't even like scrambled egg and there was just a single bite taken out of one of the pieces of toast.

How was it that Draco's complete dismissal had hurt so much? She was over him... no... her; she wanted to be over Draco and Pansy Parkinson was a girl who got whatever she wanted. Draco was a woman and a married, pregnant one at that; her father would find her a new man soon.

 Pansy took another deep breath when she felt her stomach clench; Draco was a thing of the past, something that was never meant to be and so it was impossible for her to understand how she had come to be sitting there, alone, on the verge of tears.

-#-

"I have been impressed, Draco. You seemed to have managed to restore your reputation somewhat." The potion master admitted. "How have the other Slytherins been treating you?"

It was a few days later and Draco was to be found sitting in Snape's office; she had been called to talk through the essay assignments she had been set, in the place of the practical potions work she could no longer do.

Draco smirked, "Much better; Blaise and I were able to study in the common room yesterday. Sure we got a few looks from people but they were wise enough to hold their tongues."

"You do seem more like yourself these last few weeks." Snape told her.

Draco nodded somewhat solemnly, "I think I was just so anxious before we got approval from the ministry; it was all I could think about and I wasn't ready to fight back against those who were putting me down. I guess I was happy to just hide in Harry's shadow for a while." Draco sighed and hung her head. "I got kind of used to playing the weak little girl role."

Snape snorted at that, "Indeed, though how you ever managed to convince anyone of that I will never know."

"I just needed to not be noticed for a while, it was the only way I could think to keep myself from ending up the victim of every Slytherin prank and joke for the rest of my time here." Draco looked up and managed a half smile, "Besides, it won me Harry."

"Surely you are not actually stupid enough to believe that Harry married you, believing your innocent girl in need of a hero act?" Snape asked with expression of disbelief.

"Of course not." Draco told him with shake of her head, "But it wasn't a complete act; I really did need help and we both know Harry will never be able to resist helping someone when they are truly in need." Draco said with a chuckle, "I love him, but Hermione is right when she says he has a 'saving people thing', no matter how much he denies it."

Snape narrowed his eyes making Draco rolled hers.

"No, I did NOT really trick Harry into being with me. I am a good Slytherin, but not actually that good; it was simply a turn of events that happened in my favour."

Snape snorted again, "Apparently so."

"You make it sound so sordid." Draco told him with a smirk.

"I dare say that there are many who would insist that being changed into a girl and then marrying and becoming pregnant by your former rival _IS_ rather sordid." Snape pointed out as he leaned forward, linking his fingers and resting his elbows on his desk. "That isn't even mentioning how quickly this all happened or your age."

"Well when you put it like that..."

"Indeed." Snape said rather seriously.

"You really think that badly of me?" Draco asked, hoping her nervousness did not show in her voice.

Snape watched her carefully, leaning back in his chair. "Truthfully, I do not; I meant what I said, I am impressed by you. You have been through a great deal and yet you have managed to find yourself a family and happiness; which is a good deal more than some people ever manage."

Draco couldn't hold in her smile, joyful tears threatening to make an appearance; she was happy with her life and didn't regret the path that had led her there, but it still made her feel overly emotional to have someone she respected so much say such things.

"Thank you, Sir." She told him, and she was glad when he didn't comment on the tears she wiped away with her sleeve.


	19. Papers, Books and Letters

_ Previously: _

_Snape watched her carefully, leaning back in his chair. "Truthfully, I do not; I meant what I said, I am impressed by you. You have been through a great deal and yet you have managed to find yourself a family and happiness; which is a good deal more than some people ever manage."_

_Draco couldn't hold in her smile, joyful tears threatening to make an appearance; she was happy with her life and didn't regret the path that had led her there, but it still made her feel overly emotional to have someone she respected so much say such things._

_"Thank you, Sir." She told him, and she was glad when he didn't comment on the tears she wiped away with her sleeve._

-#-

Harry supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised as he was that Draco was throwing herself into exam revision with a fervour to match Hermione's; their rooms were now permanently littered with various texts and notes.

"I really wish you could at least not leave these books and pieces of parchment on the floor, Love; I am constantly worried you are going to slip on them." Harry told Draco for the third time in two days.

"Sorry." Draco apologised; though Harry didn't really buy it as she was clearly distracted.

She was sat on the floor and didn't even look up; he wasn't even sure she was really aware of his presence in the room as she continued to shuffle through the piles of parchment all around her.

"You are going to run yourself into the ground, Draco." Harry chastised lightly, running a hand over her hair affectionately. "You are eight months pregnant."

"Funnily enough, Harry, I had actually noticed that." Draco told him, indicating her now very large and obvious pregnancy. "And I am fine, I am just sitting and reading; though, my back IS starting to hurt a little."

Harry tutted fondly and helped Draco to her feet, holding her arm tightly as she stepped out of the ring of books and papers. She took a seat on the sofa, smiling when Harry passed her the book she had been reading, before she had a chance to ask him.

"This little one better decide to come out before the exams; I am not sure I would even be able to reach the desk over this bump." Draco grumbled, running a single hand over her belly.

"I don't think you need to worry about that, Love; he would have to be nearly a month late for that to happen... which is very unlikely." Harry assured her; fetching his charms book before taking a seat next to her on the sofa.

Draco lay down, swinging her feet up to rest on Harry's lap, her head on the arm rest; book propped up on her chest to keep reading.

"Yes, but you are forgetting that this is _your_ son, therefore the unlikely is practically inevitable." Draco reminded him, as she flicked through the book, looking for the page she had read up to. "And it isn't as if nothing unlikely happens to me; I think our current situation is evidence enough of that."

"Okay, you might have a point," Harry conceded with a small shrug, "but I honestly don't think our little boy is going to wait that long to make an appearance."

"You better hope you're right, otherwise there will be all hell to pay." Draco said, lowering her book just long enough to glare at her husband.

They both looked up as there was a knocking at the door.

"Who is it?" Harry called out.

"It's me." Ron's voice replied, "Please let me in. Hermione is driving me crazy."

Harry and Draco smirked at each other in amusement as Harry got up to open the door.

"Thank you." Ron said with obvious relief, as he stepped into the room. "It is as if all the nagging she usually reserves for you has been redirected to me, so now I am getting a double dose." Ron paused and looked around. "What happened here? Did you murder a library?"

Harry laughed, " _THIS_..." he waved a hand at the papers and books all over the room, "...is all thanks to Draco's studying."

"Blimey; I might have been safer staying with Hermione." Ron mumbled.

"I heard that." Draco growled, throwing an annoyed look at him.

"Woah... easy with the death stare." Ron teased. "Remind me why you married someone so deadly again, Harry."

"Didn't you hear, Harry likes me for who I am; I can only figure he is some kind of masochist." Draco told him with a casual shrug.

Harry gently swotted at Draco's leg as he took his seat on the sofa again. "I'm the masochist...? Look around the room, Draco; look at the studying you are inflicting on yourself."

"Hey, it isn't completely my fault; normally I can focus on one thing and am really organised; but with the pregnancy and hormones, my brain wanders too easily."

"I was teasing, Love, you don't have to explain to anyone." Harry told her, moving her feet back into his lap. "Have a seat." He instructed Ron, indicating the chair that had the fewest papers on.

Ron moved the papers in a neat pile onto the floor next to the chair, casting a glance at Draco to make sure he wasn't going to get yelled at for it. She rolled her eyes and gave a small nod of her head in consent, so Ron dropped himself into the now clear chair.

"How are you doing, Draco? I swear you look bigger every day."

"Thanks for that Ron." Draco said with a scowl, arms protectively around her extended belly. "And Yes, I am just fine; I think it mostly just looks so ridiculously huge because I am so little."

“I was saying to Draco, just before you arrived, Ron,” Harry told him, “that I am sure it will not be long now till our son makes an appearance.”

“Then he can keep you awake at all hours of the night, as well as me.” Draco laughed evilly. “On the plus side, at least I will be able to see my feet again.”

-#-

Harry helped Draco into her seat at the Gryffindor table for breakfast, sitting opposite Hermione, who had her head in a Charms book.

“You could at least stop studying during meals, Hermione.” Harry suggested.

Hermione looked up with an expression of shock, “But if I don’t get high enough marks in my OWLs I can’t even sit the NEWTS I need; and then I will end up stuck doing some job I don’t want to do and then...”

“Okay, okay.” Harry interrupted, holding up his hands in surrender, “I get it, carry on.”

Hermione huffed but returned to her book, absently feeding herself the occasional bite of toast; only stopping and looking up again when a post owl dropped a letter in front of Draco.

Harry could easily see how much his wife's slender pale fingers were shaking as she picked up the thick high quality looking parchment and stared at the elegant scrawl on the front which read 'Draco Potter'. For a moment Harry found himself wondering why Draco had written a letter to herself, the writing was so similar to hers, but there were subtle differences.

"It's from my mother." Draco practically whispered.

Harry had the letter out of her hand and was casting detective spells before anyone else could react.

"The Hogwarts wards wouldn't have let a letter with any hexes or curses put upon it through the wards." Hermione said with exasperation. "It is in..."

"... Hogwarts: a history." Harry and Ron finished for her; grinning as they spoke in sync with each other.

Draco snatched the letter back out of Harry's hands and continued to stare at it in contemplation.

"What's going on?" Blaise asked, as he slid into a chair next to Ron.

"Letter from her mother." Ron explained quickly.

"Really?" Blaise said, sounding genuinely surprised and curious. "What does it say?"

"No idea." Draco said, sounding surprisingly calm and Harry thought she was probably using 'Malfoy mask'; he quickly decided he didn't like it.

"Draco, Love; you don't have to read it... ever; and certainly not right now." Harry said, placing a hand on her back.

"I don't need you to patronise me, Harry." She snapped,  pushing his hand away, "I am perfectly aware I can read it when I damned well feel like it; I am your wife not a small child." Draco climbed out of her seat quickly, letter in hand and stormed from the hall; leaving her very stunned group of friends and a rather hurt feeling husband behind.

"I really hate that stupid Malfoy mask Lucius taught her." Harry mumbled quietly, stabbing one of the sausages on his plate with his fork.

"Me too." Blaise said sadly, staring out the door as if still debating running after his friend.

Harry looked up, "Should I follow her?" he asked Blaise. "I kind of feel she might not take well to my presence right now."

"No, give her some time." Blaise suggested, finally tearing his eyes from the door to the great hall long enough to serve himself food.

"She didn't mean it, Harry." Hermione tried to console her upset friend

"Don't be stupid, Hermione." Ron scolded, "Of course she meant it; I just bet she didn't mean to say it in the way she did. She will probably read the letter, cry a bit, feel really bad for yelling at you for trying to be supportive and then come and apologise."

"Thanks, Ron..." Harry said, managing a small smile, "Surprisingly that actually helps; no offence, Hermione but I think Ron is right on this one."

Hermione nodded, staring at Ron as if she had never seen him before, "None taken, Harry; I happen to agree with you. That was... insightful, Ron."

"Err... thanks." He said, looking quiet uncomfortable with the others all staring at him and so turned his attention to the important mission of consuming his breakfast.

-#-

Draco was silently crying by the time she had gotten through the doors of the great hall, and she was holding the letter from her mother so tightly it was becoming crumpled in her hand. She didn't really know where to go. Several other students were giving her odd looks but wisely said nothing, she pushed past them mostly so she didn't have to look at the pity on their faces.

She was reluctant to go back to her room just in case Harry was stupid enough to follow her; she really didn't want to say anything she would regret which she was sure she would if he tried to talk to her at the moment. She was already feeling bad about having yelled at him but sometimes his need for her to be calm and happy all the time was a little grating. She would apologise later but for now she was going to let him stew for a bit, it wouldn't do him any harm and right now she had other priorities.

She stopped and glared at the letter in her hand before realised that she had subconsciously walked towards their rooms anyway, whilst she had been mentally distracted. She sighed and carried on walking; she did need somewhere private and at least this way she could climb into her big bed and be comfortable while she almost certainly cried at whatever the letter contained.

She wasn't even convinced it would be word from her mother yet; Draco knew full well it wouldn't be beyond her father to use her to make Draco read a letter full of whatever horrible things he wanted to say. Even if it truly was from her mother, Draco was sure that the words would hurt her heart deeply; no matter whether they were  of kindness and love, or those of anger and hatred.

She pushed open the door to their rooms, it was strange how still they felt as if they were waiting to see what the letter held as much as she was. It was peaceful but the heavy kind that you find at the eye of the storm, that promises of future chaos. She shook her head, things were better now, better than she had hoped they could be and that wasn't something that could be taken from her; not easily anyway.

Draco steeled herself; she had gotten so used to running to Harry, hiding behind him but she wanted to do this herself, she needed to do this herself; she just wished she could stay strong without resorting to the lessons her father had taught her, that she didn't have to act like the Malfoy she used to be to get through this.

She made her way across their living room taking special care not to stand on any of the papers or books; not wanting to damage them, or else slip and damage herself or the baby. Their bedroom door was open and she managed a half smile at the sight of Harry's pyjama trousers in the middle of the floor; he really was such a lazy person sometimes, how hard was it to put them under his pillow or at least on the bed.

Draco climbed onto the bed, which wasn't nearly as easy as she would have liked, due to her pregnancy; she sat with her back to the headboard, the thick fluffy duvet over her shoulders and pulled tight around her. It wasn't as reassuring as she had hoped but at least it was private and warm, it helped knowing that no matter how bad or hard this was going to be, she would be able to just sit there and Harry would find her before too long.

She held the letter out in front of her, at eye level, as if to try to stare it down, trying to work out how to stay strong and hating that all that came to her were the lessons her father had yelled at her.

_'Don't show weakness, Malfoys are never weak.'_

"I'm not a Malfoy anymore." She said aloud to herself. "I'm a Potter."

She chuckled somewhat self deprecatingly to herself when she realised her mistake, she didn't have to stay strong; there was no-one who was expecting that of her; none of the people who mattered to her now would think less of her for feeling, or even showing, the emotions the letter was about to cause. She could read it and then cry and scream and react however she liked and Harry would still be there to hold her and love her just the same.

With shaky hands, and almost overwhelming anxiety, Draco slid a single digit under the Malfoy seal that held the letter closed and opened it carefully. The page was filled with her mother's writing and Draco was surprised how comforting it was to see; it was so similar to her own, except the slightly lighter touch of the quill she used and the way she looped her g's and y's.

**_'My Darling Draco,_ **

**_First and foremost I miss you; you are still my child and it cuts me deeply how your father has torn us apart. Part of me wishes I could chose you over him but, for reasons I cannot tell you completely yet, I am unable to do so; in time I hope you will understand and forgive me this. Your father is desperate; he loves this family and feels he is doing what he must to protect it ; I beg that you try to understand._ **

**_That said, I must caution you. He has not given up on taking your son from you and, from what I have overheard and been led to believe, your father has purchased considerable interests in those who will be residing over the inspection visits the committee ordered. Do not allow them any chance to accuse you of caring for the child improperly and I strongly encourage you to make use of the influence, that those in power around you have, to ensure you are treated fairly._ **

**_In the mean time I have taken all the action I can to help turn his attentions from you and your unborn child, and I believe news I will give him soon will help on that front, but for now I urge you to act with caution and wish you all the best for the upcoming birth. You will be a wonderful mother, I am sure. Trust yourself._ **

**_I do not know if or when I will be able to write again; I already have taken great risk in writing this for I am sure your father would view it as terrible betrayal. Do not respond, for he is most certainly intercepting any post intended for me._ **

**_All my Love,_ **

**_Mother.'_ **

Draco was shaking uncontrollably by the time she had read through the letter once, her face covered in watery trails as she sobbed; by the time she had read it a second time she was barely able to make out the words through her tears, her breathing difficult as she cried.

She felt so conflicted, like her already strained emotions were being pulled in opposite directions. She hadn't realised how hurt she was that her mother had chosen Lucius over her; she hadn't even realised that she had until she read the words. And that her mother was still referring to Lucius as her father was infuriating and felt as though Narcissa Malfoy was belittling the actions of her husband to some petty spat.

But there were words of warning, support and love there too, and those made Draco's heart sing and ache all at once, that Lucius had tried, and to a great extent managed, to take that from her; that he had robbed her of the parent who _had_ managed to love her unconditionally, even after the accident.

Draco felt tired; she knew she should get up and go to the lessons which she was no doubt already late for, but she wasn't sure she had the energy, even if she wanted to. Draco pulled the duvet tighter around herself and lay down properly, the letter clutched against her chest as her crying started to ease. She would just sleep for a while, maybe everything would hurt less after a nap; she was glad that no-one had seen her break down but her last thoughts before she fell were of the hope that Harry would be there when she woke.

-#-

"Okay, this is madness; am I allowed to go look for my wife now?" Harry mumbled quietly in Blaise's ear as they entered the great hall for lunch and saw that she was absent from there as well as from the morning's lessons. "I am getting really worried."

"Yeah, you probably should go check on her." Blaise conceded, but grabbed hold of Harry's arm quickly as he turned to leave. "If she wasn't heavily pregnant I would be advising you to give her longer, but I am worried too."

"Yeah, I know." Harry assured him, "I have gotten perhaps far too used to her being open with me about everything and knowing where she is all the time." he added sadly.

"Harry, don't..." Blaise said with a shake of his head, "...it is great how much you have gotten her to open up but just try to be patient with her when she doesn't, she has spent a long time being told to hide her emotions. You are a good husband to her, but this was bound to happen eventually." Blaise released his arm and instead placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, "Now, go make sure she is okay. Oh and send me an owl or something once you have found her."

Harry chuckled, "Will do. Tell Ron and Hermione where I am, would you?"

Blaise gave him a curt nod as Harry turned and headed off at a slow jog towards his and Draco's rooms; he wasn't certain where his wife had gone but he figured it was the most likely option. He was fairly sure she would not have been reckless enough to leave the castle but couldn't help the unsettled feeling in his gut that he knew wouldn't go away until he was sure she was safe.

-#-

Harry leaned on the doorframe watching his wife sleeping, just the top of her blonde hair visible over the covers; he hadn't realised quite how agitated he had been feeling all morning until he no longer did. How he had ever hated the sight of that white blonde completely escaped him now. He went back into their living area and scribbled a quick note to Blaise informing him that he had found her, that she was asleep and that he would be staying with her till she woke.

"Take this to Blaise." Harry told Hedwig, "Try to get to him before lunch is over, I don't think McGonagall would be very happy if you interrupted her lesson."

The owl nipped him lightly, which he took to be her understanding, and she took off out the door he had opened for her, to deliver the note. Happy that Blaise wouldn't get worried and come looking for them any time soon he headed back into the bedroom.

He sat down very carefully on the edge of the bed, close to where Draco's head lay; it never failed to surprise him how small and innocent she looked in sleep. She had the letter loosely held in a half clenched fist, her other hand gently on the swell of her stomach; he carefully brushed her hair away from her face, smiling at her soft breathing.

She shifted and mumbled in her sleep, her head turning and he was able to see the dried tear tracks on the pale skin; he glared at the letter in her hand that presumably was the reason for having cried. Her grip on it was loose and so he removed it from her hand, it was covered in the same handwriting that he had seen on the outside of the letter at breakfast. He skimmed the letter, hoping that his wife wouldn't slaughter him for it later. Narcissa Malfoy seemed to be hinting at something that was going with her and it was disturbing to read that Lucius was so actively still working to steal their child from them. He sighed and moved to place the letter on the bedside table.

"Harry." Draco mumbled sleepily.

"Hey, Love; I didn't mean to wake you."

Harry turned to see half open grey eyes looking up at him sleepily, "I am glad you're here." she told him, managing a gentle smile.

"Are you really?" Harry asked, "I wanted to give you space but...."

"I mean it, I am sorry I yelled at you this morning; I really am glad you're here." Draco told him earnestly.

"Yeah, well just don't make a habit of it." He teased with a wink.

"I couldn't help it; I was struggling to restrain myself." Draco tried to explain.

"Yeah, so you put up that mask and ran away from me." Harry pointed out with a frown.

"I know, I know." Draco rubbed her eyes and sat up a bit, curling into Harry's side. "It was how I was raised; stay strong, don't show weakness, and such. I realised something though, when I came here to read the letter..."

"What's that?" Harry asked, genuinely curious.

"That that is the Malfoy way," Draco told him, "And I am not a Malfoy anymore; it is okay for me to not to keep my emotions hidden all the time, to not put on a show for the world."

"I am glad to hear that, I don't like that Malfoy mask you put on your face this morning." Harry said, "You are a Potter, we share what we are feeling." He kissed the top of her head, "Especially with our spouses."

Draco chuckled, "Well I can't promise I won't ever react like that again, but I am trying, I don't want to hide from you. The rest of the world maybe, but not you."

"That is all I ask, Love." He said, kissing her temple and wrapping his arms around her. "That's all I can ask."

"I love you." Draco whispered.

"Pretty damned fond of you too." Harry said, grinning when it earned him an amused smile from the petite girl he loved so very much. "Want to talk about the letter?" he asked.

"Not in the slightest." Draco said decisively, snuggling closer into Harry's side.


	20. Putting Plans into Action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 20, enjoy.  
> I am making great progress this week, but that is mostly because the content for chapter 21 has spilled over into chapter 22; this does mean we have put off me needing to take a break for a few more weeks at least.  
> This is un-beta-ed so do let me know if you spot mistakes.

_ Previously: _

_Draco chuckled, "Well I can't promise I won't ever react like that again, but I am trying, I don't want to hide from you. The rest of the world maybe, but not you."_

_"That is all I ask, Love." He said, kissing her temple and wrapping his arms around her. "That's all I can ask."_

_"I love you." Draco whispered._

_"Pretty damned fond of you too." Harry said, grinning when it earned him an amused smile from the petite girl he loved so very much. "Want to talk about the letter?" he asked._

_"Not in the slightest." Draco said decisively, snuggling closer into Harry's side._

-#-

"I presume there is a good reason why you were both absent from your lessons today." Snape snarled, standing very close behind where Harry and Draco were eating dinner that evening.

Harry swallowed deeply, dreading turning around but Draco did so with a pleasant smile tugging at her lips.

"Of course, Sir." She assured him happily.

Harry was aware that a fair few students around them were now watching with interest and he slowly turned around, doing his best to keep his face blank; hoping he didn't look either too pleased with himself or too guilty, as both would likely cause him to incur the wrath of the potions master.

"Well then I am sure you can make good use of the hour long detention, you now have with me this evening, to explain." Snape told them, looking decidedly smug.

Harry however looked horrified. "But Sir..." he started to object.

"Shut up!" Draco snapped under her breath.

"You would be wise to listen to your wife on this one, Mr Potter." Snape told him calmly with a tone of amused superiority, "I will expect you _BOTH_ in my classroom following dinner."

 Harry was wearing an annoyed frown as he watched Snape head up to the teacher's table; Draco and Blaise both chuckled at the expression.

"He probably just wants to talk to us." Draco whispered in his ear. "He didn't seem all _that_ annoyed."

"Yeah, says you." Harry mumbled back. "He is always annoyed when it comes to me."

"Don't be so dramatic, Harry." Hermione snapped lightly.

"Hermione's right; While I think you did used to annoy him rather a lot, I think he mostly just likes making you squirm now." Blaise told him with a shrug.

"I am not sure that is any better." Harry grumbled sulkily making Blaise and Draco laugh again.

-#-

"Sir?" Draco called round the door into the potions classroom, as she opened it slowly.

"Enter." Snape's voice commanded.

They did so and found the professor sat at his desk working his way through what looked to be a rather large stack of essays and showed no further signs that he was aware that Harry and Draco were there. Harry opened his mouth to speak but before he could say anything Draco's hand was over it, a finger raised to her lips and a small shake of her head telling him to remain quiet.

Draco rolled her eyes as Harry glared at her while obeying her command for silence. She knew Professor Snape better than he did and it would not be good to start off this 'detention' by distracting the man part way through his marking.

"The letter..." Snape said after a few moments later, "...the one you received this morning; would I be correct in assuming that it was the reason for you absence from classes today?" He asked as he looked up at the couple standing in front of him.

Draco nodded, "It was from my mother." she told him, taking a seat across the desk from the potions master who had summoned two chairs; Harry hurriedly sat next to her. "It wasn't exactly easy to read and I needed some time."

Snape gave a quick nod, "And this afternoon?" he asked with his eyes narrowed in Harry's direction, daring him to try to find a good enough reason.

Harry opened his mouth to speak but Draco beat him to it. "I am just so tired all the time lately and I didn't mean to fall asleep but..." Draco sighed, "...and then Harry came to find me when I didn't show by lunch time. It was all just too much and I am sure that had I attempted to attend lessons, even just this afternoon, it would have proved to have been counterproductive to the progress I have made with the Slytherins recently."

Snape scowled and looked about ready to start tearing Harry to pieces, having apparently reluctantly accepted Draco's excuses; Harry knew he had no chance, and that any attempt at reasoning with the man would be a lost cause. Draco, however, seemed willing to give it a try.

"I really needed Harry with me, to help remind me that I have a new family now, I would probably still be hiding away if it wasn't for him." Draco reasoned, "And we have already got the notes from Blaise and Hermione to catch up on everything we missed." she added quickly.

Snape's face became even more pinched and he seemed to be trying to look into Draco's soul, perhaps in an attempt to verify his story or else find a good reason to berate one of them. It was somewhat unnerving and familiar, and Harry momentarily wondered if it was a trick the headmaster had taught him.

"Very well." He said a few minutes later, though his eyes were still fixed intently on Draco. "The letter; did your mother mention the steps she has been taking recently?" he asked.

Draco nodded slowly, "She did, but how, and what, do you know about it....?" she asked apprehensively.

"Can you think of another potion master that she would trust such a task to?" He asked incredulously.

"Potions?" Draco asked with a gasp, looking stunned, "What is she doing? She isn't going to poison...?" she let her voice trail off.

"Poison Lucius?!" Snape exclaimed and though he seemed completely stunned by the idea, he also seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking his head. "No... No, of course not..." He sighed and he almost seemed sad, "I should not have mentioned it. It is now clear she was not ready to share this information with you; but I have not been able to speak with her recently and therefore have been unable to enquire as to her success or failure."

"She mentioned that she had news to tell my father." Draco told him, leaning forward slightly eagerly awaiting for whatever information the potions master could given them.

Harry caught the pleased look on Snape's face for a moment before its usual neutrality returned.

"That sounds as though it was successful; this is a fortuitous turn of events. I can only assume she wished to speak of it to Lucius before informing anyone else."

"Are you going to tell us what is going on?" Harry asked and Draco rolled her eyes at his Gryffindor bluntness.

"She made it sound, in the letter, as though this would impact on Lucius' mission to take our son; surely we should be told, so that we can act and plan accordingly." Draco said, trying to word Harry's demanding question in a way that Snape would be able to relate to.

The potions master looked thoughtful, debating the merit of Draco's logic. "She has been taking some very strong and potentially dangerous fertility potions." He told them after a few moments.

The silence that filled the room was heavy; that was not what they had expected. It made sense once the concept had been voiced but that Narcissa Malfoy would go to any lengths to conceive another child, let alone dangerous ones, had not been something they had even thought about. The words of the letter made sense though; with a new Malfoy heir of their own they would have little use for their son.

Draco couldn't deny the hurt she felt, that she was truly being replaced; her mother would give Lucius another child, one that wouldn't fail them, one that would inherit all the money, power, properties and family that once were so central to her own future. She had known since the day her father disowned her that they would go to someone else but it was so much more painful to be faced with the reality of it.

She reached over and tightly gripped Harry's arm. "They... they're going to have another child?" she asked, aware that she was shaking.

Snape nodded solemnly, "A son, if the potions have worked correctly. They were old potions, designed to force the conception of a male heir; I tried to dissuade her from using them but, as you know, she can be quite stubborn." he told them sadly.

“Oh.” Draco said quietly, her brain going a thousand thoughts a second, vaguely aware of both Harry and Snape watching her cautiously but she was definitely not ready to talk about what she was feeling just yet and was glad that the two men in the room with her knew her well enough to know that. 

"Well, I have nothing further to discuss with either of you at the moment." Snape dismissed them sharply, as though worried that the whole feel of the conversation had been wandering dangerously close to emotional. "I suggest that you make use of the remaining forty five minutes to start reading through what you missed during your lessons today."

Harry groaned but moved from the chair by the front desk to one of the other nearby desks; Draco moved to sit next to him as he pulled out the notes Hermione and Blaise had given them at dinner.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked Draco quietly.

"I will be; it was just a bit... shocking to hear." She tried to explain, glad when Harry nodded his understanding but asked nothing more.

"No talking." Snape snapped, glaring at the essays he had returned to marking.

"Sorry, Sir." they replied in sync, smiling softly at each other in mild amusement at the potions master's return to his usual grumpy persona.

-#-

Harry was trying to look relaxed and calm as he dropped himself onto one of the large sofa's in the Slytherin common room. Blaise sat himself at a table a few feet away and was pulling out several books and some parchment to start working on his homework. Draco slowly sat down next to Harry and swung her feet up onto the sofa, resting her head in Harry's lap; all of them aware of the eyes of the numerous students around them watching.

Draco and Blaise had been spending time in the Slytherin common room on a regular basis since the confrontation with Pansy and most of the other students had come to accept their presence there with very little complaint. This was, however, the first time that Harry had come with them.

Draco was now due in just a couple of weeks and she frequently fell asleep during the day and was always tired. None of them had really been comfortable with the idea of her falling asleep in the common room with only Blaise to offer her any protection; it would put her in an incredibly vulnerable position. It had actually been Harry who had suggested he accompany her and Draco who had tried to talk him out of it.

It was a bit of a gamble as while it would show that they were a united front and that Harry didn't fear the Slytherins, it also implied that Draco was dependant on him; which, while largely true this late on in her pregnancy, was not something they wanted to advertise to Hogwart's most deviant students.

Harry got out both his and Draco's copies of their Charms books and offered one to his very sleepy looking wife.

"You going to be able to stay away long enough to read for a bit?" He asked her.

"For a short while." She told him; taking the book and propping it open against her belly.

Blaise chuckled, "Well at least we know your son makes a good book rest."

"That he does." Draco agreed, running a hand affectionately over her bump.

They settled into reading and Draco managed almost ten minutes before she was no longer able to keep her eyes open and drifted off to sleep. Harry carefully removed the book from her loose grip and dropped it back into her bag; he smiled down at her lovingly before returning his attention to his book, absentmindedly running fingers through her soft blonde hair.

"Look tiny little Draco, apparently it is passed her bed time and it is only six o'clock." Pansy whispered loudly to Daphne Greengrass.

"Just drop in Pansy." Blaise called out.

"She is nearly nine months pregnant," Harry snapped out, a hand hovering over Draco's ear in the hope that it would help keep her from being disturbed. "It's not really surprising that she needs a lot of sleep at the moment."

"What are YOU doing here?" Pansy sneered, "This is the Slytherin common room, Gryffindors are not welcome here."

"Oh Shut up, Pansy." Draco's half asleep voice groaned, turning everyone's attention to her. "You remember that day almost six years ago, we were all in the great hall, they put a hat on our heads?" her voice was casual and calm, as if they were just having a pleasant conversation. "The day you were sorted into Slytherin. Well I know you are incredibly selfish but you might have noticed the rest of us were sorted too and I am pretty damned certain that I was sorted into Slytherin too."

Draco paused and smirked when she heard several giggles from students who were listening in. "Well that means that I have EVERY right to be here and, as my husband and the father of the child I am currently VERY heavily pregnant with, he is here to look after me while I spend time in MY common room."

Pansy was slightly red-faced and had her jaw clenched tightly; she looked about ready to start screaming at either Draco or Harry, or perhaps both of them, when Daphne tugged gently on her sleeve.

"Just leave it be, Pansy." She muttered into her ear.

"He shouldn't be here." Pansy growled at her friend.

"I know, but he is and to be honest Draco has a point." Daphne said, turning to stare at Harry. "And as long as he minds his own business I think we can deal with him being here occasionally."

"Hey, works for me." Harry told them with a shrug. "I am just here for Draco, whatever the rest of you get up to down here is of no concern to me."

While it seemed that this was enough for Daphne and a lot of the other Slytherins, it didn't apparently wasn't for Pansy who pulled her arm free from her friend's grip and took several steps towards the sofa occupied by Harry and Draco.

"Is there a problem here?" Snape's voice queried loudly and clearly from where he had just entered the common room, drawing everyone's attention to him and stopping Pansy short.

"No, Sir." Draco and Daphne both replied quickly.

"HE shouldn't be here." Pansy cried out suddenly, a finger pointed in accusation at Harry.

"Miss Parkinson; surely you are not SO dense as to be unaware of the extenuating circumstances that allow Mr Potter to accompany his wife whilst she visits her own common room." Snape's voice was deep and he sounded almost bored.

Pansy crossed her arms over her chest and Harry was fairly sure she was struggling not to pout; thankfully it seemed Snape's word was, more or less, final and Pansy turned on her heel and stormed off, the distant slamming of a door could be heard a few moments later and it could only been assumed that she had gone to her dorm.

"Mr and Mrs Potter, if you would be so kind as to follow me." Snape said curtly and though the wording left room for refusal, the tone of voice did not. "I assume the rest of you have work to be getting on with." He instructed the rest of the room and there was a lot of shuffling as all those who had stopped to watch the events unfolding, quickly made themselves busy.

Harry helped Draco to her feet, something which she struggled with now, and they followed the professor from the room.

"Sir, can we go, wherever it is we are going, a little bit slower please?" Draco asked as she was struggling to keep pace with Snape; the potions master did not respond but noticeably slowed his pace. "Are we going to our rooms?" she asked when she thought about the direction they were heading.

"Indeed." Snape told them.

"Erm... why?" Harry asked, sharing a confused look with his wife.

"I was requested to bring you to your quarters." He told them unhelpfully.

Draco shrugged at Harry, telling him that she was none the wiser as to what this was about either. It only took a couple of minutes for them to reach the portrait over the entrance to their rooms and before they could give the password, it had opened from the inside revealing the joyful smile of the headmaster.

"Sir?" Harry greeted the old man, as they all stepped inside, but his attention was quickly caught by the obvious changes to the room.

The living area was larger with the addition of another sofa and a beautiful wooden cot had been placed at the far end of it; there also seemed to be three additional doors; Harry was just about to ask what was behind them when one of the opened.

"SIRIUS!" both Harry and Draco cried out at once.

Harry was first to throw himself into his godfather's arms, but only because Draco couldn't move as quickly.

"Hey there, I missed you too." Sirius said with a chuckle, hugging Harry back tightly. "And will you look at you." He said, releasing Harry and turning to pull Draco into his arms. "You look amazing, Draco. I missed you both so much."

"We missed you too." Draco mumbled into his chest.

Harry couldn't resist and hugged Draco from behind, wedging her between his and Sirius' bodies. After a few minutes, however, it started to feel awkward, particularly once they realised that both Dumbledore and Snape were stood watching their small family reunion.

 "Well as much as I am enjoying this _charming_ display of affection..." Snape sneered, "I have a pile of first year essays to write 'T's on." And not giving any of them a chance to say goodbye or comment, he swept from the room.

"As I am sure you have noticed, I have added a few additions to your rooms; a nursery and rooms for both Sirius and Molly." Dumbledore told them, gesturing to the doors in turn.

Harry and Draco pulled away from Sirius to look at him in surprise.

"You're moving in?" Draco asked excitedly.

They moved over to the sofas; Harry and Draco taking seats either side of Sirius.

"We figured it would be best if I was here before that little one decides to make an appearance." Sirius explained to them with a grin. "I am not sure if Molly will want to stay here often, but at least now she can if she chooses to. I assume you are okay with me moving in."

"Of course, that's great." Harry told him, nodding enthusiastically. "And thank you, Sir." Harry said to the headmaster.

"My pleasure, Harry; whatever we can do to make this next month or so easier for you both." Dumbledore assured him, "You will need all the help you can get to make it through your OWLs given the circumstances."

The two teens nodded enthusiastically, delighted at the idea of having Sirius there with them and relieved to know they had someone there to support them.

"Well, we should probably spend an hour or so studying, Love, before you fall asleep again." Harry suggested.

Draco nodded but Sirius was apparently not quite so keen on the idea.

"You are studying already? The exams aren't for a month." Sirius looked slightly horrified, "I thought living with you two would be fun." He told them with a pout, crossing his arms over his chest as he sulked.

"Now, now, Sirius." Dumbledore chastised, getting up to leave, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder as he passed, "You should be proud of their dedication to their work, and I doubt they will have time to study when their son is born; they are behaving like mature adults. You should be careful Sirius, it might rub off on you." Dumbledore teased.

Sirius grinned, "Not bloody likely." he said with a barking laugh. "I am going to be the fun Uncle Sirius, to this kid."

"Grandfather Sirius." Harry corrected.

"Grandfather?" Sirius asked, looked scandalised. "How old do you think I am? I am definitely not old enough to be a grandfather."

"Well tough luck." Harry told him with a devious smile.

"You are the closest thing to a father me and Harry have." Draco told him diplomatically, "We would be honoured if you would be  our son's honorary grandfather."

"You are lucky that your wife is a lot better at buttering me up than you are, Harry" Sirius told him with a playful smile. "Grandfather...." He muttered under his breath, testing out the name. He smiled the small flutter of joy it made him feel and he found he suddenly didn't care one bit how old it made him sound.


	21. Happy Birthday, Draco

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally supposed to contain what is now in chapter 22 as well, but I didn't want to rush it and so I apologise for the slightly cliff hanger-ish ending.

_ Previously: _

_"Grandfather?" Sirius asked, looked scandalised. "How old do you think I am? I am definitely not old enough to be a grandfather."_

_"Well tough luck." Harry told him with a devious smile._

_"You are the closest thing to a father me and Harry have." Draco told him diplomatically, "We would be honoured if you would be  our son's honorary grandfather."_

_"You are lucky that your wife is a lot better at buttering me up than you are, Harry" Sirius told him with a playful smile. "Grandfather...." He muttered under his breath, testing out the name. He smiled the small flutter of joy it made him feel and he found he suddenly didn't care one bit how old it made him sound._

-#-

By the end of May Draco was struggling and by early June, she was no longer even attempting to attend lessons; she was spending the majority of her time sleeping, reading or talking with Sirius and she was quite sure if she hadn’t had so much studying to do, she would have gone mad from boredom already. It really was a blessing having Sirius around to help her out with all the little day to day things which were so much more challenging now that she was into, what they all hoped were, the final weeks of pregnancy.

It was Draco’s birthday and both Sirius and Harry had attempted to talk her into having a celebration but she had told them, quite firmly, no; insisting that she would celebrate when she could see her feet again and not a moment before that. Harry smiled at the memory of the glare she had given him, as he ran a hand over her hair as she slept; she was curled up on her side facing the edge of their bed, her arms around their unborn son. She sniffled slightly and rubbed the side of her face on Harry’s hand, humming in contentment.

“Harry...” she whispered sleepily.

“Happy Birthday, Love.” He said, kissing her lips which were still slack with sleep, though she did make a vague attempt at returning the gesture only for him to pull away too soon. “You go back to sleep,” he insisted, “We’ll have a nice dinner or something later.”

Draco groaned, apparently unimpressed by something, though whether it was the more sleep or the birthday dinner wasn’t entirely clear, but Harry suspected it wasn’t sleep as her eyes were still closed and she hadn’t even tried to get up; maybe the groan was her disapproval of him having woken her at all.

Harry chuckled, “Don’t worry; it will just be you, me and Sirius having dinner in our rooms. No real celebration, just like you wanted.”

“Fine...” Draco sighed, the word turning into a yawn as she opened one eye in the most pathetic attempt at a glare Harry had ever seen.

Harry couldn’t help but chuckle again at the sight. “Well Happy Birthday; Sirius is in his room if you need anything, or else yell for Dobby.”

Draco knew all this of course, the elf having become almost as obsessed with helping her, as he was with Harry; and Sirius rarely left their rooms, though Draco suspected that was because he knew that Harry wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of Draco being alone in their rooms all day.

Harry kissed her baby bump through the covers, his hand resting there just a few moments longer, as he had taken to doing and then kissed her again, once on her lips and then on her forehead.

“Stupid lessons,” Harry grumbled teasingly, “I would so much rather just curl up next to you.”

Draco smiled sleepily, kind of wishing he would shut up and go to class already so she could get back to sleeping; she had been woken up several times during the night by what the nurse had told them were false labour pains; nothing to worry about unless they became frequent apparently. The first time it happened Draco had gasped out in shock at the pain and, even though it eased after a few minutes, Harry was concerned enough to insist they paid a visit to the medical wing; Draco hadn’t wanted to be poked and prodded at, but she too wanted to be sure their baby was safe and had allowed it.

Draco opened her other eye to glare at Harry more fully in the hope that he might understand she just wanted to go back to sleep and that it would really be in everyone’s best interest that he shut up.

“Yes, okay, sorry.” He said, clearly amused, “Me leave, you sleep. I love you.” He told her as he scooped up his school bag and headed from the room.

Draco closed her eyes and couldn’t help but grimace a little as her son kicked her hard. “Oh please let Mummy sleep,” she begged, shifting to ease the aches that plagued her now.

She was so ready to not be pregnant anymore, and stay that way for some while preferably, even if she wasn’t quite so convinced she was ready to be a parent. Draco had no doubts that Harry would be an amazing father to their son but she had never believed she would make a good father before the accident, let alone a good mother.

Draco yawned and stretched, trying to ease the tension in her back which did help somewhat, so she turned over onto her other side, closed her eyes and let herself back into a deep sleep.

-#-

Draco was vaguely aware, when she woke up, that her sleep had not been particularly restful but her attention was more on the dampness she was sitting in. She felt embarrassed that she had wet the bed; presumably their son had kicked her bladder one too many times and she was extremely glad that Harry was still in lessons. She threw the covers off herself and manoeuvred herself to put her feet on the floor, as she sat on the edge of their bed almost wanting to sob as she felt more wetness on her legs.

She had just tried to stand when a tightness spread through her abdomen and the shock of it left her feeling winded; as it eased off a few moments later, it suddenly occurred to her that perhaps she hadn’t wet the bed but rather that her waters had broken, like Madam Pomfrey had warned her about.

She ran her hand over her hardened belly and took a few breaths to calm the panic that was threatening. She had no idea what time it was so and therefore no idea how long it would be until Harry was back from classes; it was likely he would check on her at lunch but that could be hours away for all she knew; not that it mattered dreadfully, Sirius would hear her if she yelled for him and Dobby would come if summoned.

“It’s okay; I am going to be okay,” Draco muttered to herself getting to her feet, not least because sitting on the damp bed sheets was most unpleasant.

She made her way slowly across the room but by the time she reached the doorway another contraction was upon her and all remaining doubt that she was in labour was gone. Her fingers gripped the doorframe as she slowly lowered herself to the floor, rocking back and forward on her knees to ease the pain; breathing through it as best she could.

“Dobby,” she called out when the contraction faded.

It was odd the contrast between how fuzzy her mind felt while they were happening and the clarity that she had in between; and right now that clarity was telling her she needed Harry. There was a moment where she really wished her mother was there but that passed quickly when she remembered that the woman was doing her very best to replace her, feeling almost maliciously victorious that Narcissa would have to suffer the pain of birth to do so.

There was a pop and Draco was suddenly aware that she was still on her knees clinging to the doorframe as she turned to see the large familiar eyes of the house elf.

“Is Draco Potter be needing Dobby?” the elf asked with a smile.

“Yes, get Harry. He is in class, but I really need him to come here right now,” Draco instructed, and sighed in relief as Dobby vanished, the knowledge that Harry would be there soon easing the anxieties that were building.

Harry would fix this, Harry would make everything better. Draco moved to all fours, rocking back and forwards gently in time with her breathing, as the next contraction hit.

-#-

Harry was sitting in potions and was completely failing to hide his boredom. Professor Snape had been telling them about some theory or other to do with directional stirring and the implications for properties of the brew; whatever it was, Harry’s mind was elsewhere with Draco and he was regretting not having just bunked off lessons and gotten back into bed with his wife.

“Potter; what would be the impact of reversing the direction of the stirring have on an Antidote to Common Poisons?” Snape barked out, knowing full well that it was unlikely that he would be able to answer.

“Err...” Harry said, his eyes wide with mild panic, certain he had just earned himself a detention and was probably going to have to beg Snape to move it to another night so as not to ruin Draco’s birthday.

“No?” Snape sneered, looking quite pleased with the lack of answer, “How about on a Befuddlement Draught?”

“Err...” Harry said again, feeling particularly stupid and trying his best to ignore the muffled laughs coming from the Slytherin side of the room.

“Ten points from Gryffindor for not paying attention in class and you will see me after,” Snape told him, before turning back to the board and changing what was written there with a wave of his wand.

Harry was just trying to find the section in his book that he was supposed to be following when the very sudden appearance of Dobby on his desk made him, and many students around him jump.

“Mr Harry Potter, Sir, Mrs Draco Potter is be needing you,” Dobby said quickly.

Harry, of course didn’t need to be told twice and was already on his feet and heading for the door, Snape however had different ideas and with a swish of his wand, the door to the potions classroom swung shut.

“You do not have permission to leave class early; on the contrary in fact, I am pretty sure I told you to stay later,” Snape snarled as he walked around his desk, heading towards Harry with a furious expression on his face, until there was barely a foot between them. “You are not...” Snape said in a deadly whisper, “...doing a very good job of showing your appreciation for my agreement to teach both you and your wife potions in _my free time_.”

“I am sorry, Sir, but Dobby says Draco needs me. You can give me all the detentions and take all the house points that you like, but I still have to go to her,” Harry told him clearly.

“Go!” Snape more or less yelled; his annoyance obvious, though Harry could tell it was tempered somewhat by his concern for Draco, as the potion master practically stormed back to his desk.

Harry didn’t wait for the man to change his mind and quickly ran from the room, towards his and Draco’s rooms, only vaguely aware of Snape’s angry tones being directed at his classmates. It didn’t take him long to reach the portrait covering the entrance to their quarters and he was practically pulling the doorway open before the picture had a chance to process that he had given the correct password.

“Draco?” Harry called out, panic resonating in his voice; he was sure Draco would never have sent Dobby to get him unless she was in real need. “Draco...?” He called again, making his way over to their bedroom.

“Harry?” Sirius appeared in the doorway apparently having just been having a shower if his still damp hair was anything to go by.

Harry however didn’t stop to speak to his godfather, trusting the man to follow as he pushed open the door to his and Draco’s bedroom.

Draco was breathing deeply and seemed to be incredibly focused; she was knelt, with her knees spread slightly, just inside the door as she rocked herself in time with her breathing, a hand pressed firmly against the top of her baby bump. Harry dropped to his knees behind her, shuffling so that his legs were either side of her hips.

“Draco; it’s okay, Love, I am right here,” Harry assured her, rubbing a hand against her lower back as it had been recommended in several of the books Hermione had insisted he read; Draco however seemed oblivious to his presence and Sirius seemed to be too stunned to say, let alone do, anything.

"Sirius... Get Madam Pomfrey!" Harry ordered softly, fairly sure he shouldn't pull Draco out of her almost trance like focus.

"Pomfrey... right..." Sirius agreed vaguely, still staring at the young girl breathing her way through a contraction.

"Sirius!" Harry said more firmly, when the man showed no signs of moving.

"Pomfrey, yes!" He agreed, coming back to himself and rushing off, hopefully in search of the nurse.

"Harry?" Draco look over her shoulder curiously at her husband who was seated on the floor behind her; her relief obvious she leaned back against him. "It hurts," she told him.

"I know, Love, when did it start?" He asked calmly, running a hand though her hair.

Draco looked thoughtful, "I am not sure exactly, but my waters had already broken when I woke up. Time all feels a bit... fuzzy." She explained, "But I called Dobby pretty quickly, to get you, so can't be very long."

"Do you want to move?" He asked cautiously, knowing how volatile his wife could be at the best of times let alone when in labour, even if it was the early stages.

"No, not yet," she told him. "I could do without the damp pyjamas though," she said looking down at her lap with a look of disgust.

Harry offered an arm for Draco to lean on so she could move up onto her knees, allowing for her bottoms to be pulled down to her knees; he was surprised how calm she seemed and wondered just how long that would last. Realising just how tricky it was going to be to remove them completely whilst still on the floor, Harry helped her to her feet.

"I still feel gross," she told him, leaning on his shoulders as he helped her step out of them completely.

"A bath?" Harry suggested.

Draco smiled, "Yes," she agreed emphatically.

Harry let go of Draco to gather a small pile of towels, a blanket, thinking Draco would likely not want to get dressed again after, and a pair of pyjamas, just in case she did. Draco had already made her way to the bathroom and was perched on the close toilet seat by the time Harry was done.

He had just entered the bathroom when Draco moaned in discomfort, one hand reaching out for him in desperation which Harry took quickly, the other bracing herself on the rim of the bath; her bottom lip pulled between her teeth for a moment before she seemed to remember to breathe through it.

As Draco eased back out of her contraction induced haze, Harry began running a warm bath before helping Draco out of the pyjama top she was still wearing.

"Join me?" Draco asked, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

"Of course I will, if you want me too," Harry assured her, with a kiss to her temple as he helped her to her feet.

Draco nodded as she climbed into their large bath; Harry quickly undressed and slid in behind her so that she could lean back against his chest. She sighed as something about the bath eased the tension in her.

"Harry? Draco?" Sirius' voice called out in almost panic.

"We are fine, we are in here," Harry called back, though he had left the door to the bathroom only pulled to rather than closed, "Don't come in though, we are in the bath."

Draco giggled at that, turning her head to the side such that her ear was over his heart.

"Draco? How are you doing?" Madam Pomfrey's voice asked from the other side of the door.

"It hurts but I think I'm okay," Draco told her hesitantly. "The bath is helping," she added after a few seconds.

"That's good, can I come in a check how you are?" The nurse asked, "I assure you it is nothing I haven't seen before," she tried to joke.

Draco however was not amused and her whole body tensed as she gave Harry a pleading look that he had no trouble reading. He knew that Draco still had her insecurities about her female body and while she had no doubts how much Harry loved it, she was not ready, by a long shot, to let anyone else see it.

"No, Draco just told you she is fine! I think we would both rather you stayed out there," Harry told the nurse firmly, as he looked into his wife's eyes, promising wordlessly that he was on her side.

Draco was just starting to relax again when the next contraction hit, making her cry out and grip onto Harry's hands when he offered them, her head tipped back and pressing hard against his chest.

"Let me know when the contraction ends," The nurse instructed.

When Draco's head jerked towards where the sound had come from, Harry wanted to curse her for distracted his wife from her intense focus; but when the tension eased from Draco's body and the contraction seemed to be over Harry told Pomfrey as much.

"Just under forty five seconds," the nurse informed them, "How far apart are they?"

"Four, maybe five minutes," Harry guessed, to be honest he didn't really care how long they were taking, he just wanted to focus on Draco and help her through it.

He had to remind himself that the nurse was there for the same reason and so perhaps her questions had good reasons behind them; otherwise he would start yelling at the woman in a manner not really appropriate from a student.

"Okay, the labour is definitely progressing quickly; Draco I really do need to check..."

"Fuck off!" Draco yelled, panic in her voice; she _REALLY_ didn't want the nurse, or anyone who wasn't Harry, anywhere near her at the moment.

"Draco!" Sirius exclaimed and they heard what sounded like him jumping to his feet.

"No, it is okay, Sirius," Madam Pomfrey assured the man, "Well if you aren't going to let me near you, I need some information."

Silence. They waited and it was only another thirty seconds of so before Draco nodded.

"What do you need us to do?" Harry enquired.

"I need to know that the baby is in the right position. Where did he kick you last, Draco?" She asked.

"Up near my ribs." Draco told her, "Is that okay?" She asked, sounding worried.

"Yes, yes, that is good, Draco." The nurse assured him. "Next I want you to..."

But they didn't find out what she wanted them to do, because another contraction started, making Draco cry out. Harry was vaguely aware of the nurse calling out instructions for him to give to Draco but to be honest he wasn't listening, instead focusing on rubbing circles on his wife's lower back.

"SHUT UP!" Draco yelled suddenly and both she and Harry were glad when the nurse fell into silence and the only sound left was heavy focused breathing.

Madam Pomfrey was right, the labour did seem to be progressing quickly and each contraction seemed to be becoming more intense; after maybe half an hour the water began to cool and Harry grabbed his wand to cast a warming charm but Draco placed a hand on his wrist to stop him.

"I think..." She said, clearly having trouble concentrating, "I think I want to get out."

"You sure?" He asked, "I thought the water was helping."

"It was, but I can't move around," Draco explained, "I need to move, Harry."

"Okay, Love," he agreed, careful to support her as he climbed out from behind her.

The tight pain hit her again and she automatically shifted herself to her knees, with grace that was surprising; she knelt sideways in the water, hands almost as white as the bath where she was gripping the rim so tightly.

"It hurts, Harry, make it stop," she pleaded and the sad sound almost broke his heart.

"I can't, Draco; I would in a second if I could, but you know I can't."

"You're supposed to make this better," she told him.

"I can give you a mild pain potion," Madam Pomfrey offered, actually making them both jump as her silence had allowed them to forget about her presence on the other side of the door.

Draco nodded at that idea.

"Draco would like that," Harry relayed to the nurse, who sounded like she was digging though a lot of glass vials to find the one she was looking for.

Harry helped Draco out of the bath and dried her off with a towel as she sat on the toilet seat again. Draco tensed when they heard the portrait door to their room open and close again.

"Is she okay?" They heard Hermione's voice ask, she sounded out of breath as though she had ran there and Harry was delighted to notice that Draco relaxed again at the sound.

"She's in labour," Sirius told her.

"She seems to be doing fine from what we can tell but I can't help because she won't let anyone other than Harry near her..."

"Her body knows what to do though, right? That's what all the books say," Hermione interrupted. "Is that a pain potion?" she asked, indicating the vial in Madam Pomfrey's hand.

"Yes it is and while that is true..." The nurse tried again, but Hermione's focus was on the bathroom containing Harry and Draco.

"Draco, it's Hermione," She called through the door, "will you let me come in with this vial for you?"

There was silence and Harry knew better than to push his wife into a decision, so instead pulled out the blanket and wrapped it around her.

"Yeah, okay," Draco consented, " _JUST_ you," she added quickly.

"Just me," Hermione agreed.

Harry suddenly realised that he was still completely naked and so, not really wanting his best friend to see _that_ much of him, he hurriedly pulled on the pyjama trousers he had picked up for Draco, not caring that they were a bit on the small side; it was only just in time as Hermione opened the door only enough to get into the bathroom, whilst maintaining the privacy of the young couple inside. She handed over the small vial of pale blue potion to Harry, who helped Draco down it.

-#-

"Shouldn't you be in there helping?" Ron snarled at the nurse, as they heard Draco cry out from in the bathroom.

"She already said Draco wouldn't let her in," Blaise scolded, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him over to the sofa. "Draco has Hermione and Harry with her, and Madam Pomfrey is right here if she needs her."

"I guess it isn't all that surprising, given how much she has been through, in the last year, that she doesn't want anyone near her at a time like this," Madam Pomfrey told them, though she didn't look particularly happy about it as she paced the room. "We will have to trust her instincts to guide her through this."

Sirius was still sitting with his back against the wall, next to the door, clearly worried about the young couple inside, whom he considered his family; He managed a small smile when they heard Draco telling Hermione to be quiet or get out.

"You boys probably should go get some lunch and go to your afternoon lessons, this could take a few hours." The nurse said to Blaise and Ron.

"She's my best friend..." Blaise exclaimed.

"And there is nothing you can do to help her at the moment," Sirius pointed out, "It is probably best with as few of us here as possible anyway. I hardly think that Draco would want either of you to see her during this."

"You can't seriously expect us to go back to class and pretend like nothing is happening while our friend is here giving birth?" Ron asked, clearly unimpressed by that idea.

Blaise smiled, quite sure that Ron hadn't even realised that he had called Draco his friend, but it was very touching to see him so defensive of her; sure they had been nice to each other in recent months but for Ron to openly admit it was something else all together.

"You can stay here if you like, Ron, but you have to promise to keep out of the way," Sirius told him, getting up and joining the two boys on the sofa.

"Well we might as well get some studying done while we wait," Blaise suggested, getting out a text book and throwing Ron's book bag to him.

"Great idea," Ron said sarcastically.

 


	22. The Best Birthday Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I present to you all, chapter 22, enjoy.
> 
> I have got the first half of chapter 23 written but it is far from finished and I am definitely going to need some time to work on it, so there is likely not to be an update next week but I promise I will be back the week after and I am going to use this time to get a good grip on the story so that we don’t have to have more breaks like this.
> 
> A big thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their help with this chapter (and the previous one).

 

_ Previously: _

_"You can't seriously expect us to go back to class and pretend like nothing is happening while our friend is here giving birth?" Ron asked, clearly unimpressed by that idea._

_Blaise smiled, quite sure that Ron hadn't even realised that he had called Draco his friend, but it was very touching to see him so defensive of her; sure they had been nice to each other in recent months but for Ron to openly admit it was something else all together._

_"You can stay here if you like, Ron, but you have to promise to keep out of the way." Sirius told him, getting up and joining the two boys on the sofa._

_"Well we might as well get some studying done while we wait." Blaise suggested, getting out a text book and throwing Ron's book bag to him._

_"Great idea." Ron said sarcastically._

-#-

Draco was kneeling on the bathroom floor, towels under her knees to stop the pain from the hard stone surface; Harry and Hermione were on either side of her, each offering a hand for her to squeeze tightly.

Hermione was impressed; Draco seemed to be going into her own head and doing a great job of trusting her instincts to guide her. Hermione had quickly learned that Draco wanted quiet; even talking to Harry in a hushed voice seemed to pull her out of her mental place.

It had probably been several hours since Harry had left potions, and it felt even longer. It was a lot more difficult than Hermione had anticipated; having to watch Draco in pain and being unable to do anything about it. She had no idea how Harry was standing it given that he obviously loved her very much. Perhaps it hadn't even occurred to him not to be the strong rock Draco needed; and wasn't that just so Harry!

"Bedroom..." Draco said breathlessly, as the contraction eased.

"You want to go to our bedroom?" Harry asked her for confirmation.

Draco gave a jerky nod and used Harry’s shoulder to try and get to her feet; Hermione grabbed her other elbow to help, when it was clear how difficult it was. Though Draco seemed quite oblivious to her own nakedness, Hermione wrapped a blanket around the petite blonde; she might not have been concerned at that moment but Hermione was pretty sure she would be mortified later about being seen naked by Sirius, Blaise, Ron, and probably even Madam Pomfrey.

Hermione thought it was likely Draco would be pretty embarrassed at even Hermione seeming her in such a state of undress and so Hermione was determined to protect her modesty as best she could. Hermione went to the door and opened it just a crack.

"Madam Pomfrey, Sirius, guys; can you all move into Sirius' room or the spare room for a few minutes?" Hermione requested.

"Is everything okay?" Blaise asked anxiously.

"Yes, yes, fine;" Hermione assured him, "Draco just wants to move to their bedroom and well..."

"We will stay over..." Ron started.

"Ron...!" Hermione interrupted sternly.

"Come on," Sirius insisted, pulling Ron and Blaise to their feet and leading them into the spare room, the nurse following hesitantly, close behind.

Once the door closed behind them Hermione turned back to Draco.

"The living room is empty," she promised. "Can you walk?"

Draco was still breathing deeply and regularly, but didn't seem to be having a contraction at the moment; it was apparently taking longer than normal for her usual sharp mind to process information, but after a few more seconds Draco nodded hesitantly.

Hermione pulled the door open and for a moment Draco looked quite alarmed at the sight of the room.

"It is just you, me and Hermione," Harry assured her calmly, "There is no one out there, we are just going to walk straight into the bedroom; but if you need to stop at any point, that is fine too."

Draco nodded again and pulled the blanket more tightly around her shoulders; with a hand on her belly, walked slowly out of the bathroom, into their living room. She looked around as though expecting to have been lied to and for the others to be there, waiting to jump out or something; but of course there was no-one and, after maybe thirty seconds, Draco headed for their bedroom door.

Harry and Hermione were no more than a step behind her, willing to let her walk while able, but wanting to be there to help at a second’s notice.

Draco reached out and put her hand flat on the wall to brace herself as a contraction started. A groan escaped her lips and Harry was quickly in front of her offering a hand for her to grasp, which she took without hesitation; Hermione rubbed circles on her back as she had seen Harry doing before.

Harry winced as her grip tightened painfully, crushing his fingers, but he said nothing, fairly sure that it was nothing compared to what Draco was going through. She was bent over slightly but she seemed as though she was going to manage to stand through it and a minute or so later the contraction passed and they were able to make it the rest of the way to the bedroom.

Draco dropped the blanket as she went to the bed, pulling a pillow onto the floor and kneeling on it; she rested her head on the side of the mattress and started rocking herself with a sob as yet another contraction hit her.

"Can I come in?" Madam Pomfrey's voice asked from the living room.

"No!" Harry and Draco called out in annoyance.

"Do you want me to leave?" Hermione asked softly.

"Please, no, don't leave me," Draco begged, holding out a hand which Hermione took quickly as she dropped to her knees next to Draco.

"I will be here as long as you want me to be," Hermione promised, looking up to smile at an almost teary looking Harry.

"We really need to know how you are progressing, Draco," the nurse tried again.

Harry huffed impatiently and took a calming breath as he headed over to the door, which Hermione had closed behind them, and pulled it open just a crack.

"How do we do that?" he demanded, "Because there is no way that she is letting you see, let alone touch her."

The nurse sighed, "You need to feel how much her cervix has dilated."

"Err... what?" Harry asked.

"Okay, you need to use your fingers, and you need to do a vaginal exam," Madam Pomfrey told the rather unsure looking teen. "You need to tell me how many fingers you can fit in her cervix."

"Err... right..." Harry closed the door and moved back over to kneel next to Draco. "Love..."

"I heard," Draco told him. "Just do it already."

Harry reached around and tried to be a quick as possible when he saw how tightly Draco was gripping the covers on their bed in one hand and Hermione's hand in the other.

"All done, love," He told her, kissing her temple.

He could hear Draco breathing, groaning and gasping her way through another contraction, as he walked back to the door.

"Just over two fingers," he told the nurse, his attention still mostly on his wife.

"Okay, that is about one and a half inches, maybe two; she needs to get to four," Madam Pomfrey told him, "But she is progressing well."

"Please tell me that I don't have to do that again," Harry pleaded, "It was obviously pretty uncomfortable for her."

"Not for a while, no," the nurse gave him a smile.

-#-

The next couple of hours dragged, with Draco switching between walking around, kneeling by the bed and getting down on all fours. Hermione and Harry were always at her side offering a hand or two for her to crush; frequently giving her small back rubs in somewhat futile attempts to ease her suffering.

Madam Pomfrey allowed her a further two pain potions which seemed to help but as Draco wasn't allowing her to monitor her progress the nurse wouldn't give her anything stronger, saying that they needed Draco to be able to feel everything to let her instincts guide her.

"I can't," Draco cried, grasping onto Harry's arm.

"You _are_ doing, love," he told her.

"I can't, I'm so tired," she insisted.

"Do you want to lie down for a bit?" Harry asked.

"I can't," she sobbed again.

"Yes, you can," he said; picking her up bridal style; he lay her on her side on the bed and curled up next to her, face to face.

 Harry ran a hand over her hair, which was damp with sweat, pushing away from her eyes.

"Could you get a damp flannel?" he asked Hermione, who seemed more than a little glad for an excuse to not have to watch the rather too intimate scene on the bed in front of her.

She took care to open the bedroom door as little as possible and had to stop to explain herself to the others as she went through the living room, but she returned a few minutes later and hovered near the door as Draco breathed her way through another contraction.

"Here," she said, handing the damp cloth to Harry, who cast a quick cooling charm on it before using it to mop his wife's forehead, nape and chest.

The petite blonde sighed happily, apparently finding a little relief from the action and it seemed she was managing to actually take a small nap; Harry and Hermione shared a slightly amused expression, but remained silent not wanting to risk disturbing whatever rest she was managing to get.

Hermione summoned a small pile of towels and blankets, making herself a comfortable spot to sit on against the wall near the door; that way she could stay in the room and allow Draco as least a modicum of privacy. She was able to hear when Draco’s breathing changed and Hermione could only assume she was having another contraction.

"She barely even woke," Harry told Hermione over his shoulder in not much over a whisper, the amazement obvious in his voice.

Draco managed to nap on and off for around twenty minutes before the most recent potion seemed to wear off and the pain increased enough to pull her out of her sleepy haze; she actually made Harry jump when she quite suddenly pulled away from him. She slid off the edge of the bed to squat next to it; crying out as unbelievable tightness and pain pulled through her abdomen.

Hermione watched as Harry grabbed a potion vial as he followed her down to the floor but Draco pulled away from him as he offered it to her; groaning in agitation when he tried to rub her back as he had been doing before.

"No..." she grumbled, arching her back away from his hand and resting her forehead on the covers.

Harry raised his hands in surrender, "I will be just over here," he promised, moving to lean against the nearby wall.

It was slightly strange for the two thirds of the Gryffindor trio sitting unable to do anything more than watch and listen to Draco struggle through what was probably her fourth hour of labour since waking up.

Occasionally, Madam Pomfrey would enquire as to her progress and how she was managing; she seemed quite frustrated that she was refusing the pain relief and even more worried when Harry refused to check how dilated she was.

"She doesn't want me touching her back," Harry had growled at the nurse, when Hermione waved him over to hear Madam Pomfrey's suggestion, "let alone anywhere else. You can forget it!" he told her, pushing the door shut in her face and going back to sit near Draco. He couldn't even bring himself to feel guilty for his rudeness.

Twice more, in the next half an hour, Harry attempted to offer potions, another bath and even just his hand to crush, but Draco sternly told him to shut up and fuck off. However it was only ten minutes after the second time that she held out a hand to Harry.

"I have to push, Harry, I have to," she tried to explain, sounding honestly quite desperate and panicked.

"Trust yourself," Hermione prompted her; as Harry moved back to Draco's side, taking her proffered hand.

"Push whenever you want to, Love," Harry instructed softly, wincing when her grip tightened enough to crush his fingers painfully together.

He looked up to see Hermione glance at his hand and bite her lower lip in an obvious attempt not to laugh at his suffering. Draco's loud cry caught their attention and it was obvious she was doing exactly as they had suggested and was trusting her body’s desire to push.

"Is she okay?" Madam Pomfrey's voice called out and Hermione looked about ready to hex the woman.

"Fine!" Hermione insisted, her voice tense as she forced herself not to insult the nurse.

"Is she  feeling the need to push?" The nurse asked, "If so tell her to go ahead and..."

"Yes, and we know!" Hermione yelled at the closed door.

"Okay, good but..."

Hermione stormed to the door and pulled it open a crack, till Madam Pomfrey's face came into view. "With ALL due respect Madam Pomfrey, please just stop."

"I am just trying..."

"I know," Hermione assured her, "I really do know, but right now Draco needs me and Harry to focus on her; we will tell you the second anything doesn't seem completely fine. Okay?"

The nurse nodded, obviously not the least bit happy about how the whole situation was going but resigned to it and Hermione closed the door; turning back to Draco who was crushing Harry's hand with all her might as her whole body tensed and she cried out again.

"I am NEVER going to forgive you for this." Draco told Harry as she tried to catch her breath, sweat covering her forehead and back.

"I know, Love," Harry said, his voice full of admiration for his young wife.

"And if you think this kid is ever having a brother or sister you have another think coming," she said, even managing to look up long enough to glare at him.

"That will always be your choice," he promised, and the slightly amused smile he gave Hermione let her know that he was pretty sure Draco would change her mind on that one eventually.

Hermione picked up the flannel they had used earlier and used a few charms to make it damp and cool again; she wiped Draco’s upper back and neck with it. The blonde sighed at the relief it brought her, tipping her head back which allowed Hermione to run it over her forehead.

"Thank you," Draco gasped out.

After ten minutes or so Draco reached down between her legs and seemed on the verge of panic when she could feel the top of her son's head.

"You damned well better catch him," she told Harry warningly.

Harry looked slightly alarmed at that and moved to sit more behind her, his right hand still in her vice-like grip. "I am right here," he promised, as he reached under her, his hand meeting the one she had there as they cradled their son's head in their hands.

Hermione suddenly felt particularly awkward and so moved back to her seat near the door but she couldn't help but look over at the pair of them when Draco almost screamed her way through the next big push.

"His head, Draco, his head's out," Harry told her, placing a kiss on her temple; not that she had needed that information, she could feel their baby's head resting in her and Harry's hands. It was strange and somewhat unnerving, but it did feel right that at that moment it was just the three of them; it was her, Harry and the little baby boy they were about to bring into the world.

She released Harry's other hand and gripped onto the bed covers instead, as she pushed again; she felt the pressure suddenly ease off when her son's body came free from hers, straight into the protective arms of his father.

"You did it, Draco," Harry breathed out in awe, his eyes fixed on the baby he was holding.

It was a few seconds but then the small somewhat pink and wrinkly form of their son opened his mouth and started to cry, weakly to start with but he seemed to quickly get the hang of it. Harry placed him carefully on the floor between Draco's legs and then eased her back so that she was sitting in his arms, their son in front of her, so she could see him for the first time.

She looked like she was about to cry when between then they lifted him up and placed him against her chest.

"Hey Orion," she said softly, running her fingers over the tiny amount of pale fluff on the top of his head.

They had finally chosen the name a few weeks before after much debate; Draco wanting him to have a traditional Black family name like she had and Harry wanting to name him for the people they loved, so as Sirius' middle name, Orion was one they both had been able to agree on. Draco had actually liked the name so much she had eventually agreed to allow James as a middle name.

"Orion?" Hermione asked.

"Orion James Potter," Harry told her, his grin now permanently in place. "Shouldn't we cut the cord or something?" he asked, clearly feeling unsure, now that his entire focus wasn't on getting Draco through her labour.

"Draco," Hermione asked hesitantly, "can I let Madam Pomfrey in now?"

Draco looked up as if suddenly noticing Hermione's presence in the room for the first time and flushed bright red as she realised she was completely naked and had been for the last few hours.

"Err... maybe you could get me a blanket first." Draco suggested.

Hermione gave her a reassuring smile as she picked up one of the blankets she had been sitting on before, cast a simple warming charm on it and wrapped it around Draco's front, taking care not to put it over baby Orion's head. It was almost instinct that made Draco lift his small body and help him latch onto her breast, again it took a few moments for him to figure it out but once he did so, he fed with vigour.

"So strange," Draco said softly, as she leaned back further into Harry's arms and while Harry had to agree with her assessment of the situation, he also thought it might the most amazing thing he had ever seen.

Madam Pomfrey had thankfully gotten the message that Draco didn't want her touching her and so kept a short way away from them as she did a couple of diagnostic spells on both Draco and Orion.

"You both seem well," she assured them when she was done and she talked Harry through cutting and clamping the cord and even managed to force herself, with obvious effort, to stay on the other side of the room when Draco delivered the afterbirth about ten minutes later.

-#-

Harry couldn't stop smiling; Draco was fast asleep, getting some much needed rest, curled up with her head against his hip as he sat against the headboard of their bed; Orion was in his bassinette next to their bed within arm's reach of Harry.

"He is so tiny." Ron said, looking quite scared to even touch the sleeping baby who was less than two hours old.

"Well he is Draco and Harry's son, what did you expect." Blaise teased.

"Hey..." Harry said indignantly, but he was still smiling.

"He is kind of cute though," Ron admitted.

"Kind of...?" Harry managed to look offended at that.

"Yeah, well he is kind of pink and wrinkly," Blaise added with an analytical look at Orion.

"He's a baby," Harry pointed out, "he is a few hours old, give him a chance."

"One hell of a birthday present though," Sirius said with a chuckle as he came back into the room, having been to see the nurse out.

"That is going to be fun in years to come with Orion and Draco sharing the same birthday," Blaise said with a grin.

"Oh, Merlin's beard," Harry said, looking slightly worried, "what do you bet Orion takes after his mother and wants to be spoilt rotten?"

Blaise and Sirius laughed.

"Well you can't say you didn't bring this upon yourself," Ron told him with a shrug.

"Thanks for that, Ron," Harry told him sarcastically.

"He looks like Draco, don't you think?" Hermione asked softly as she crouched down next to the bassinette and ran a single finger over Orion's little cheek.

"Urg, now I am regretting calling him cute," Ron groaned.

"Oh but look at him," Hermione cooed, "he is so very cute."

"Thank you, Hermione," Harry said proudly, smiling down at his baby boy.

"Come on you lot," Sirius told them. "Let’s give them some space before you wake one of them up."

Blaise and Ron let themselves be herded out of the room but Hermione seemed reluctant to take her eyes off the tiny little baby wrapped up warm.

"Hermione...?" Harry said softly, both kind of touched and amused by how besotted his best friend was over Orion.

"Sorry, I am going," she told him, but she still didn't look away from the bassinette, "I never really anticipated how attached I would feel to him having been here for his birth."

"Hermione," Harry said as he held out a hand to her, which she took loosely in her own, "Thank you; for being here, for being so great, for obviously caring about both Orion and Draco and for not letting today be weird," he added with a chuckle.

"No problem," she told him with a grin, getting to her feet, pressing a kiss to Orion's forehead and then Harry's, "Love you, get some sleep," she instructed him.

He grinned at her, "Yes, mother," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"Shush you," Hermione said, half laughing, as she left the bedroom.

-#-

Harry woke up to a growing cry and Draco was waking up next to him; the sound cut him to the core but it took him a few seconds to work out where the sound was coming from. When he did, it hit him like a bludger to the gut that he was a father and that the sound was his son crying, his and Draco's son.

"I'll get him," he whispered, to his wife; slipping out of their bed and sweeping Orion up into his arms.

Draco was already sitting up in bed with her arms out to take him, as Harry climbed back in next to her; Orion quickly became quiet, choosing to feed greedily instead.

"Apparently he was hungry," Draco said with an adoring smile.

"So it would seem," Harry agreed, cuddling up close with his young family. "Can't believe we actually made him."

"Hey, I did all the hard work," Draco pointed out with a teasing glare.

"That you did, Love," Harry agreed, "That you did."

"Guess you did pretty great too," she conceded after a few moments, during which they watched him feed.

"Thanks," Harry said, leaning in to place a chaste kiss on her lips, "We make a great team; if someone had told me this was our future, I would never have believed them."

"No kidding," Draco said, looking quite stunned by the thought, "not exactly the life I had planned."

Harry looked sad for a moment, "Do you regret it?" he asked.

"No," she told him, "it is strange and I do sometimes wonder about the 'what-ifs', but I couldn't give you up now, let alone Orion."

"That's good to know," Harry forced a smile, "I couldn't give you up either; not you, and not Orion," he promised, "You two are my world; you know that, right?"

"I know that," she assured him, "and as soon as he is old enough to understand, Orion will too."

"I love you, Draco," Harry said and all the powerful emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him were written all over his face. "Even when you drive me crazy, I still love you."

Draco reached up with the hand that wasn't occupied holding Orion and wiped the tear away from Harry's cheek. "I love you too, you stupid Gryffindor; now stop being such a girl and take your son and change his nappy; he stinks."

Harry couldn't help it, he laughed; his cheeks hurt from smiling so wide and his heart ached with love and he couldn't help but hope that he hurt like that every day for the rest of his life.


	23. Bullies and Parents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 23, enjoy.  
> I really needed the break last week, so thank you all for your patience. I feel very refreshed and back on track with my writing (both with this story and Erotes) and I am actually taking a few weeks away to do some writing (don't worry I will have internet enough to be able to do next week's update); so, with any luck, I will fly through another few chapters this week and we can get back to regular updates :D
> 
> A big thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their help with this chapter.

_ Previously: _

_"I love you, Draco," Harry said and all the powerful emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him were written all over his face. "Even when you drive me crazy, I still love you."_

_Draco reached up with the hand that wasn't occupied holding Orion and wiped the tear away from Harry's cheek. "I love you too, you stupid Gryffindor; now stop being such a girl and take your son and change his nappy; he stinks."_

_Harry couldn't help it, he laughed; his cheeks hurt from smiling so wide and his heart ached with love and he couldn't help but hope that he hurt like that every day for the rest of his life._

-#-

Orion slept a lot more than they had anticipated, though it was not as though either of them had spent any time around a baby before. He would wake up and grizzle at them whenever he needed changing or feeding but rarely truly cried; Draco had said that he had inherited his perfection from her, Harry had laughed at that but not disagreed.

They had decided to take the rest of the week off from classes to focus on their son, but their friends all showed up after lessons to coo over the baby; staying to talk the young couple through the lessons they had missed. Everyone was besotted with the tiny child, whose hair was already darkening and was now a kind of dirty blond colour. Draco had actually had to tell their friends off when it had looked very much like they were attempting to wake Orion.

"He will be awake in an hour demanding feeding anyway," she had pointed out. "And if you make my baby cry, I guarantee I will do the same to you," she threatened and the others had looked slightly alarmed about what the small blonde might think up to reduce them to tears.

Sirius had taken to his role of grandfather, and additional guardian, like a fish to water and frequently was at Orion's side before Draco or Harry had the chance; though he had said that if they thought he was giving up his eight hours of sleep a night, they had another think coming.

The feeding did fall to Draco, given she had the required equipment, as Harry had helpfully pointed out, much to Ron and Blaise's amusement; but this never bothered her greatly as Harry and Sirius seemed keen to change the majority of the nappies to make up for this.

Draco was even starting to get the hang of completing the night feeds without completely waking up, particularly when Harry would fetch Orion and place him directly in her arms, returning him to the bassinette, next to their bed, once he fell asleep again.

Molly Weasley had shown up early on that Saturday morning, demanding hugs from her first grandson and declaring Orion perfect, which put a wide joyful grin on Harry's face and a rather smug one on Draco's. Molly seemed so delighted to have a young baby in her arms again that barely anyone else got a look in all day; knowing how rapidly their exams were approaching Harry and Draco took the opportunity to have Blaise and Hermione walk them through the lessons they missed while Ron repeatedly beat Sirius at wizarding chess.

Granted they were tired from being woken up at frequent intervals throughout the night, but overall the first few days of being parents had been far less of a struggle than they could have been and it had not escaped Harry and Draco’s notice that this was largely due to the overwhelming amount of support they had received.

"Sirius, you don't have to..." Harry started to say to his godfather early on Monday morning, when Sirius had once again picked up Orion and placed him very carefully down on the changing mat to change yet another nappy.

"Harry, you are supposed to be getting ready to go to lessons," Sirius reminded him, not taking his eyes off the quietly crying baby. "He is going to be with me all day; I do know what I am doing, we will be fine."

"There are three bottles there," Draco said pointing to where the milk she had managed to express was being kept under a preservation charm, as she scrabbled around the room dropping various books and papers into her bag; "but I will be back at lunch time to feed him them so try not to feed him just before then."

"Do you really need so much stuff, Love?" Harry asked as he watched his wife drop yet another book into her bag.

She looked thoughtfully at the one she was in the process of picking up and dropped it back on the table, "I guess not," she conceded, "guess I am just kind of nervous."

"About going to classes or leaving Orion?" Sirius asked knowingly.

Draco grumbled under her breath, and Harry smiled as he pulled her into his arms, "It is only for a couple of hours," he promised.

"Yeah, I know," Draco said quietly, "I just don't want to be away from him; not for a single second."

Sirius was done putting a new nappy on Orion and so picked him up and carried him over to Harry and Draco, placing him in Draco's arms.

"Okay, my beautiful little boy," Draco told Orion as she held him securely against her chest, "You have to be good for your grandfather okay; Mummy and Daddy love you and we will be back soon." She placed a gentle kiss to his forehead and Harry repeated the action.

Draco looked half ready to cry and not at all willing to let him go, so Harry took him from her arms and handed their son back to Sirius; he picked up Draco's over packed bag, along with his own and guided them both out of their rooms.

They had had breakfast in their rooms, wanting to be away from their son for as short a time as possible, and so Harry steered them straight towards the Transfiguration classroom; Draco was quiet and clinging to him with an anxiety that was most out of character.

Hermione and Blaise seemed to notice her odd behaviour too when they reached the classroom, sharing a look with each other before Hermione mouthed 'Is she okay?' at Harry. Nodding in response he led them over to sit at the table behind Ron and Hermione, and in front of Blaise.

"Hey mate," Ron said, turning around to smile at Harry, "Hey Draco, you okay?" he added, looking concerned.

Draco looked up and blinked a couple of times, as if just realising where they were, "Oh, sort of, don't like leaving him," she explained.

"It is only for a few hours," Ron offered as comfort.

It wasn't much and it clearly didn't help Draco's mood any but that Ron cared enough to try didn't go unnoticed.

"Thanks, Ron," Draco said quietly as Professor McGonagall walked into the classroom and they all turned to face the front.

-#-

By lunch time Draco was clearly itching to get back to their rooms and had not paid any attention to anything Flitwick had been trying to teach them for the last quarter of an hour.

"Go, just go," Harry told her with a smile, placing a hand on top of hers when she started scrabbling to pack her things away quickly, "I will bring your stuff," he promised.

Draco kissed Harry quickly in thanks and all but ran from the room.

"Been married less than a year and your wife's already running away from you, Potter?" Pansy sneered as she walked past the desk where Harry was now busy putting both his and Draco's things into their respective bags.

"If you must know she was just excited to get back to our son," Harry told her, sounding bored. "Not that is it ANY of your business," he added looking up to glare at her.

"Oh yes, that's right," Pansy said, sounding amused, "forgot your wife had already popped out a little Potter brat."

"What the hell is your problem, Pansy?" Blaise demanded, stepping out from behind his own desk to stand next to Harry in a show of support.

Harry was doing his best to keep control of his temper and was endlessly glad he had sent Draco running ahead and that she didn't have to listen to the same old poison that spilled from Parkinson's mouth every time she spoke.

"Just because you’re jealous that Draco isn't yours, Parkinson," Hermione snapped.

"Jealous?" Pansy said with the most fake laugh Harry had ever heard, "Of that whore. I mean who becomes a mother at fifteen?" She said to Crabbe and Goyle who were standing rather awkwardly behind her.

Harry saw red and was only stopped from wrapping his hands around Pansy's neck by the firm grip that Ron and Blaise had managed to get on each of his arms.

"WHAT is going on here?" Flitwick asked snappishly noticing that a fight was just seconds from breaking out in his classroom.

"Nothing, Sir," Pansy said sweetly, turning and heading out the door and Harry could hear her chuckling; it was only Blaise keeping him from reaching his wand that was stopping him from cursing her.

"Mr Potter?" Flitwick asked, looking curiously at the grip his friends had on him.

"I'm FINE," Harry grumbled, pulling his arms free and straightening his ruffled clothes. "It's nothing."

"That did not look like nothing," the Professor told him with narrowed eyes, "and I have my suspicions that you might have been the provoked party."

"Parkinson has been having a go at Harry and Draco at every opportunity she gets." Hermione said quickly, looking apologetic when Harry turned to glare at her.

"Thank you, Miss Granger," Professor Flitwick said with a sad smile, "I had suspected as much but right now I believe you all should be at lunch."

"Yes, Sir," they said, quickly finishing packing their bags and leaving the classroom.

"What did you tell him that for?" Harry demanded as soon as the door closed behind them.

"It can't go on like this, Harry," Hermione said pleadingly, "What if she decides to throw a curse at one of you while you're holding Orion?"

Harry grimaced; that was a horrible thought and he had to admit that Hermione had a point. They could deal with Pansy's petty hate campaign but he couldn't let it even potentially put their son in harm's way and who knows how she would react if she actually was faced with the physical proof of Harry and Draco's relationship; a child who looked so much like Draco it would no doubt remind her of the children she had always believed would be hers.

"Hermione has a point," Ron said nervously, as though scared that Harry would turn on him next.

"Yeah, I know," Harry agreed with a sigh, "I just hope this doesn't make everything worse."

"Hopefully the professors will be smart enough not to just challenge her on it," Blaise said with an expression which clearly said that he thought that might be asking too much.

"Yeah, well I will see you guys later, I get to go explain this all to Draco now," Harry said, looking far from excited at the prospect.

With a half hearted wave,  and hitching the two bags on his shoulder, he headed off to his and Draco's room, as the others headed for the great hall; wondering exactly what, and how much, he should share with his petite wife.

-#-

"Did you get lost?" Draco asked with a laugh as Harry stepped into their rooms and dropped their bags by the door.

She was sitting on the sofa smiling as she fed Orion who looked completely relaxed in the crook of her arm; it really was a beautiful sight and Harry found himself somewhat mesmerised by it for a few moments as it eased the tension that he was carrying.

"Harry?" Draco asked with concern when he didn't respond.

"Sorry, you just look so beautiful; both of you," he told her as he sat down next to her.

"What happened?" she asked.

Harry snorted, "You know me far too well, Love," he said with amusement.

"Harry," she said slowly as a warning.

"Yeah, sorry," Harry said, knowing that it was no good trying to put it off, "It was Parkinson again, she was just being a bitch."

"Language, Harry," Draco snapped softly, covering Orion's ear.

"Oh come on, he is five days old," Harry said with a small laugh.

"And at how many days old were you planning on stopping swearing in front of our son?" Draco demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"Err..."

"Yes, that's what I thought, Harry," Draco said smugly, "get into the habit, no swearing around the baby; and I expect you to enforce that with our friends too."

"As you wish, your majesty," Harry teased, bowing slightly awkwardly, as he was still sitting down.

"Prat," Draco said affectionately, "So what about Pansy?"

"Nothing much really," Harry said with a shrug, "just, she pushed all my buttons and Ron and Blaise had to stop me from wrapping my hands around her neck."

"Well I can't hardly blame you for that," Draco said with a shrug, "You didn’t actually do something or get into trouble did you?."

"No, no trouble but Flitwick noticed what was going on and started asking questions," Harry explained.

"Ooookay..." Draco said slowly.

"Well, Parkinson made a quick exit but then Hermione told him about the trouble we have been having with her," Harry told him, "I know she meant well..."

"But you're worried that Pansy will figure out that someone spoke to the professors," Draco finished for him.

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

Draco looked thoughtful. Harry summoned a cloth and lay it over his own shoulder when he saw that Orion had stopped feeding, holding his hands out to take their son; he carefully placed the small baby on his shoulder, supporting him carefully as he got to his feet and started to pat him on the back.

"Not much we can really do but wait and see," Harry said, "unless you have any better ideas?"

"None that come to mind right now," Draco grumbled, "though I am thinking that I should speak with Professor Snape; he is at least likely to be a bit more careful with how they deal with Pansy than some of the others might be."

"Sounds like a plan," Harry said, smiling as Orion belched gently; shifting his tiny son into his arms he rocked him gently.

Draco removed the dirty cloth from Harry's shoulder and leaned into Harry's side, watching as Orion quickly drifted back off to sleep.

"I am betting it is not always going to be that easy," Draco whispered to Harry as they lay him down in his bassinette.

"Easy?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Getting him to sleep," Draco clarified.

"Oh, right; well of course not, but I am just hoping he will stay this co-operative at least until after the exams."

"Well just had to curse it, didn't you," Sirius said as he returned from his bedroom where he had gone to change out of the clothes Orion had been sick on earlier, "now you have said that he will never go down easily again."

"Don't say that," Draco told him, looking horrified.

"It was your husband who cursed it, not me," Sirius insisted, pointing at Harry.

"Shall we have some lunch or would you two rather debate who is responsible for Orion's hypothetical future trouble making?" Harry asked.

"Lunch," Sirius said emphatically and as if on cue his stomach rumbled. "Definitely lunch."

-#-

That evening, after dinner in their rooms, Draco made her way towards Professor Snape’s office, Orion sleeping peacefully against her chest in a baby sling Molly Weasley had made. Harry had wanted her to leave Orion with him, but truthfully having to be away from her new born son during lessons was difficult enough as it was and she was not surrendering one moment with him that she didn’t have to.

“Enter,” the potions master called out when Draco knocked twice.

Pushing the door open Draco stepped inside the room; it was cast in dim light and she smiled at the familiar sight of Professor Snape scowling at the rather intimidating stack of parchment on his desk, which was presumably homework.

Snape looked up and his eyes narrowed onto the small form hidden behind fabric and the protective embrace of Draco's arms.

"I sincerely hope you have not brought your offspring here to show him off in the hope of receiving praise," Snape sneered.

Draco however merely snorted in amusement at this, shaking her head to indicate just how ridiculous she found the older man.

"I actually came to talk about Pansy, but if you wanted to see Orion first you only had to ask," Draco told him with a gleeful smile.

"I have no desire to spend my evening looking at yet another clone of James Potter," Snape barked impatiently.

Draco actually laughed at that, "Everyone agrees he looks more like me actually; though his hair is already darkening and I am fairly sure he is going to have dark hair like Harry's eventually," she added as an afterthought.

Snape actually look curious at this and seemed to be resisting the urge to get up and peer into the sling; Draco sat down across the desk from him and loosened the sling so that Orion was laying in her arms and within Snape's view. However, he seemed to be doing his very best not to look at the baby.

"You can look at him, Sir," Draco said smugly, "It will be our secret."

Snape sneered again, but turned his gaze on Orion, Draco shifting so that the potions master could get a better look; the man couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his mouth that hinted at a smile.

"He definitely holds a great resemblance to you," Professor Snape agreed.

Draco couldn't help her grin at that, "He is going to be a heart breaker," she said proudly.

"Well with his mixture of your blood and Potter blood, I have no doubt he will be a cause for numerous headaches and I shall make note to find a new career a decade from now," the potions master said with a small amused expression.

Draco pretended to look horrified, "And who else am I supposed to trust to teach my baby boy how to make potions?"

Snape snorted, "That was an adequate attempt at flattery. So what has Pansy done now?"

The expression on Draco's face darkened suddenly, "More of the usual," she said between clenched teeth. "We have been able to handle whatever she's thrown at us, but what happens when she starts something when we have Orion with us?"

"I see," Snape said, his voice deep and pensive.

The room was silent as Draco allowed the potions master time to process the information and think on it, choosing to watch her sleeping son in the peaceful moment.

"Her father has long been an acquaintance of mine," Snape said a few minutes later, "I am quite sure that a discussion with him regarding her recent drop in grades would be called for," he said with devious smirk.

"That would be appreciated," Draco said with a relieved sigh; she wasn't really aware how anxious she had been feeling until the tension started to ease from her shoulders. "You think that will be enough to make her back off?"

"I believe Mr Parkinson would not approve of her spending her time damaging her reputation further when she could be putting that effort into her school work," Snape sneered smugly. "I am sure the threat of a transfer to Durmstrang will help teach her to watch her tongue and keep her wand holstered."

Orion made a gurgling noise and Draco looked down to see beautiful blue eyes  flickering all over the place. "I hope you're right, Sir," she told him, letting putting her little finger into her son's hand for him to try to grip, "because if she even thinks about hurting Orion I wouldn't even blink before cursing her dead," Draco said, looking up at the potion's master with a glare that said she was nothing short of serious.

"Let's see that it never comes to that," Snape said bluntly with his eyes narrowed at the petite blonde, warning her against such action, "though I believe I understand the sentiment."

-#-

Harry and Sirius took the chance, while Draco was off speaking with Snape, to pay a visit to Dumbledore in his office; they hadn't really had a chance to tell him about Narcissa's warning with regards to the bribes that Lucius had paid to the ministry officials.

"Sirius, Harry," Dumbledore greeted warmly when the door swung open to allow them entry. "How are Orion and Draco, or you for that matter?"

"Orion is amazing, Sir," Harry told him with a grin, "We are tired but Draco is..." he trailed off, gesturing wildly with his hands and unable to find the right words.

"She is a brilliant, and very proud, mother," Sirius finished for him, wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulder in a half hug as Harry nodded his agreement.

"I am very pleased to hear that," Dumbledore said with a fond smile, "I will have to make a point to visit at some point in the near future and meet Orion."

"Of course, Sir," Harry said happily, "you're always welcome. I am sure Draco would enjoy showing Orion off to you as much as I would," he added, flushing guiltily.

Dumbledore chuckled, "It is no crime to be proud of your child, Harry; but I must ask; was there a purpose to your visit today? Not that I mind if you just came for a chat," he added, waving his wand to summon two comfortable chairs opposite his desk. "Tea?" he offered.

"No, thank you, Sir," Harry declined politely as he took one of the seats, waiting for Sirius to take the one next to him.

Sirius smiled and shook his head, "No, thanks."

"There was something I wanted to talk to you about actually," Harry told headmaster as Dumbledore sipped from the fine china cup that an elf had just placed in front of him. "Narcissa Malfoy sent Draco a letter a short while back which mentioned that Lucius had 'purchased considerable interests' in the inspectors that will be checking up on me, Draco and Orion."

The headmaster sighed sadly, "This does not come as a complete surprise to me, as I am sure it was not to you either," he added with a poignant glance over the top of his glasses. "However, as the headmaster of the school all visits have to be authorised through me, and, if you would like, I can ensure that I will be present throughout the inspectors’ visits."

"That," Harry said with relief, "would be great."

"You must understand I do not have any true authority over the inspectors," Dumbledore said seriously, "that said, there are many who do have at least some respect for their elders and we can hope that my presence will at least keep them honest," he added with a wink.

Sirius smirked in amusement and shook his head at the old man's antics. "Well that is all we need, because you and Draco are doing a great job, Harry," he assured his godson. "I am incredibly proud of you and I am finding it difficult to maintain the disappointment I felt with the pair of you over the whole situation, when Orion is such a delight."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Harry said with a self-deprecating chuckle. "I feel so guilty sometimes, for getting us into this situation, but now I look at Orion... and how am I supposed to regret him, he is the best bloody thing I have ever done in my life," Harry told them enthusiastically.

"Language," Dumbledore scolded lightly as his eyes twinkled happily, "but I do not believe anyone expects you to regret him."

"Of course not," Sirius insisted emphatically, "I bet Draco would clip you round the ear for even thinking that you maybe should regret him."

Harry gave a small nervous laugh, "Merlin; yeah, she would."

Sirius laughed at the worried expression on Harry's face, "Don't worry, I will be saying nothing," he promised.

-#-

Once Dumbledore had finished his cup of tea, Harry and Sirius had invited him to come back to their rooms and meet Orion. The headmaster had smiled widely and accepted the offer without hesitation; so by the time Draco stepped through the entrance to their rooms, with a crying Orion in her arms, Dumbledore, Harry and Sirius were sitting on the sofas, talking.

Harry jumped up from his seat and took Orion from a tired and drained looking Draco.

"Hey, little man, what has you so grumpy?" he asked the baby in his arms.

"Pretty sure he needs changing, I made the stupid mistake of leaving our rooms without supplies, lesson learnt there," Draco told him with a grimace. "I think Professor Snape actually thought he was pretty cute, until Orion started crying and then smelling... don't tell him I said that though," she added quickly, with a smirk in Sirius' direction.

It was at that point she spotted the headmaster, "Professor Dumbledore, Sir," she greeted, clearly surprised by his presence there.

"Good evening, Draco, I did not mean to disturb your evening but I came to meet the young man who is the talk of the school," the headmaster said with a glance towards where Harry was laying Orion on a mat to clean him up.

"Talk of the school?" Harry asked in surprise as he busied himself with wipes and nappies; Orion still grizzling in complaint.

Draco scoffed, "You can't honestly be surprised that they are all gossiping about him?" she asked him.

"Well I suppose not, but it isn't like anyone outside of our friends have actually met him," Harry said.

"I believe that has added an air of mystery and therefore curiosity," Dumbledore told them with a smile. "And it is not often that this school has played host to a baby."

"I guess," Harry said with a shrug as he tucked, a now clean, Orion back up into a warm sleep-suit. "As long as they don't hassle us and let us have our privacy..."

Sirius snorted at that, "Sorry, Harry, but that might be wishful thinking," he told his godson, "you and Draco are just too interesting."

Harry frowned at that as he moved across the room and but was smiling again as he lay Orion gently into the headmaster's arms.

"He looks like you, Draco," Dumbledore said quietly as he ran a finger across Orion's soft pale cheek, "though I can definitely see some of you in him too, Harry."

Sirius, who was sitting next to Dumbledore, ran a hand over Orion's small amount of hair as the tiny boy yawned, his eyes and fists both scrunched up as he drifted off to sleep.

"He is beautiful," the headmaster said softly, sounding quite mesmerised; as Harry and Draco looked on, revelling in this praise of their little miracle.


	24. Inspections and Examinations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 24, enjoy.
> 
> Well I haven’t finished chapter 25 yet, but it is about half done, so I am confident that it will be ready for posting next week, but I have also written most of chapter 26, so things are going fairly well and I have another full week that I am going to devote to writing.
> 
> A big thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their help with this chapter.

_ Previously: _

_"He looks like you, Draco," Dumbledore said quietly as he ran a finger across Orion's soft pale cheek, "though I can definitely see some of you in him too, Harry."_

_Sirius, who was sitting next to Dumbledore, ran a hand over Orion's small amount of hair as the tiny boy yawned, his eyes and fists both scrunched up as he drifted off to sleep._

_"He is beautiful," the headmaster said softly, sounding quite mesmerised; as Harry and Draco looked on, revelling in the praise of their little miracle._

-#-

Draco was sat cross-legged on their sofa, a book open on her lap, as she tried to study.  Orion, now just over two weeks old, was tucked securely into the crook of her arm. The baby was fractious and refusing to go to sleep; his mother seemed close to tears as she ran a hand through her hair again. Apparently whatever it was she was failing to understand was the breaking point because she suddenly threw the book on the floor with a frustrated yell. This, of course, startled Orion into crying.

"Hey, hey!" Harry said, jumping up from his seat and crouching down in front of her anxiously; Hermione, Ron and Blaise, the only others in the room, looked at them in concern; she had seemed relatively calm only a moment ago so her outburst took them by surprise.

He could see the tears that Draco was trying not to let fall sitting in her eyes, most likely because she did not want their friends to see them. Harry carefully took their son as he sat down next to her on the sofa; Draco leaned her head onto Harry's shoulder.

"Sorry," she said under her breath.

"That's okay, Love; you are working too hard, and worrying even more," he told her, trying to rock Orion and comfort Draco at the same time. "These exams are getting the better of everyone, and then you have our little one to worry about as well."

Blaise, being closest, got up and took Orion. He  looked slightly nervous but took extra care to make sure Orion was being held securely, doing his best to mimic the rocking action he had seen Harry and Draco use to calm the baby in the past. Orion's crying quietened to a soft whimper, mixed with occasional cute cooing noises.

"Shush now you little cutie, Uncle Blaise will take care of you while Mummy has her annual panic attack," Blaise said quietly with a soppy grin on his face; ignoring the glare Draco sent his way at his words.

"Come on," Hermione said; she had risen to her feet and was standing up in front of the young couple on the sofa, "Draco, I think you could do with some fresh air. I know I could," she added.

Draco bit her lip; thinking as she glanced at Orion, lying safely in Blaise's arms.

"We will take care of Orion, Love; you and Hermione go have a walk," Harry whispered as he kissed Draco's temple.

"Yeah, okay," Draco agreed with reluctance. "I guess a short walk would be a good idea."

"Excellent," Hermione said happily, grabbing Draco by the hand and pulling her up from the sofa so quickly that she almost fell straight to the floor face first before she had a chance to untangle her legs.

Draco was actually quite alarmed; so when Blaise and Ron started to laugh she turned and glowered at them over her shoulder as Hermione continued to try to pull her from the room.

Harry jumped to his feet, and managed to steal a quick kiss, "Don't go too far, do NOT leave the grounds and if you aren't back in an hour I am coming to find you!" Harry called after them as they as they disappeared out the door.

-#-

"Why the enthusiasm?" Draco asked with a chuckle.

Hermione had calmed down once they had gotten out of their rooms and they were now wandering down the grand staircase; the castle was quiet and they could only guess that most people were busy studying intensively for the various exams they would be sitting over the next few weeks.

"They were driving me crazy! Those boys are just so casual about these exams and I felt like I needed to talk to someone sane," Hermione said rapidly, as though the words had been sitting bottled up in her throat, as eager for release as a snitch at the start of a Quidditch match.

Draco laughed, "So you needed some girly time?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "I know I'm all girl physically, as you are well aware," Draco added with a blush at the knowledge of just how much Hermione had seen of her, "but I do think that mostly, up here," she tapped her head, "I am pretty much still a guy."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "First of all, I only saw that much of you because I was there when you gave birth which shouldn't the least bit embarrassing; in fact it was nothing short of remarkable; and that you trusted _ME_ enough to be there is possibly the greatest compliment anyone has ever given me," she ranted ; though Draco noticed that she managed to look rather smug at the same time.

The speech was all rather sudden and Draco, stunned, stopped walking and stared at the Gryffindor.

"Secondly," Hermione went on; prodding Draco's chest with her index finger as though to hammer the point home, "It was more that I happened want some _DRACO_ time; I don't actually think of you as a girl or a guy most of the time, just like I don't particularly think of Harry as a guy. I just think of you as Draco; just because you happen to have a women's body..." Hermione trailed off with a shrug and found herself suddenly being hugged tightly by the petite blonde.

Draco could hear the little voice in her head telling her that she was making a fool of herself in the middle of the school, where anyone could see; but she didn’t care. Hermione's words had hit her far harder than she would have expected and right in that moment showing Hermione how important their friendship was to her was an absolute must.

Hermione had instinctively wrapped her arms around her friend but felt a bit awkward about the sudden unexpected public display of affection.

"Erm...Draco?" she asked hesitantly.

"Sorry..." Draco mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed as she let go of the taller girl, "I just... sometimes I feel like between being a wife and mother it gets forgotten that I am still Draco," she said quietly, her voice loaded with half-hidden emotion.

"Oh, Draco," Hermione said with a sigh, putting an arm around Draco's shoulders and guiding them on down the stairs towards the large school doors that would let them out onto the grounds, "Don't ever doubt that Harry knows exactly who you are and if you are worried that he has forgotten, talk to him about it; I know he would hate that you have been feeling this way," Hermione tried to reassure her.

"Then how come he only was nice to me after the accident?" Draco asked, "He had no interest in Draco Malfoy, only Draco, the cute little blonde girl who needed help."

"That would be because you always acted like a complete bastard around him before that," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes, "You were a spoilt brat and made sure everyone knew it."

"Please don't hold back on my account," Draco said sarcastically, eyes wide in slight surprise at the other girl’s bluntness.

"It isn't like we don't like you _NOW_ ," Hermione said, nudging Draco's shoulder playfully, "you are very special to us now. I am sure that even without the accident we could have learned to be friends; under different circumstances, you know?"

Draco didn't look convinced, "If you say so," she said quietly.

"Well... I am not saying that you and Harry would have gotten together if you hadn't been turned into a girl," Hermione tried to explain.

"Obviously, I am intimately aware that he isn't gay," Draco said with a wink, as they walked out through the large door into the grounds.

"DRACO! I did not need those mental images," Hermione laughed, covering her eyes with one hand and shaking her head, "But yes, that was kind of my point," Hermione agreed, "but you could maybe have become friends."

"Hmm, maybe," Draco said thoughtfully. "I think I prefer being his wife, as long as he remembers who it is exactly that he is married to; that I am me."

"Then you will just have to keep him on his toes and make sure he never has a chance to forget then," Hermione suggested.

Draco laughed, "You know, sometimes you Gryffindors are so Slytherin."

"Well given what a brave Gryffindor you have been this year..." Hermione said with smirk and Draco gasped with mock horror; giving Hermione a hard shove which made the taller girl laugh loudly  as she stumbled a couple of steps to the side.

-#-

It was somehow easier to focus on studying when they returned. Draco felt more at peace with herself, and the boys seemed pleased, though confused, by Hermione and Draco's closeness; the pair of them sat at the coffee table, Orion on a blanket between them, as they studied for Arithmancy.

Draco knew that her friendship with Hermione wasn't exactly sudden, but between the other girl's presence at Orion's birth and the heart-to-heart they had had, it was becoming very easy to be around her. It was so wonderful for both of them to have someone else with their intense work ethic; and despite the seriousness of the OWLs, studying for exams had never felt so ... fun?

She was so happy that this friendship was growing so strong and found that she was horrified to think that Lucius' pure-blood values might have kept her not only from Harry, but Hermione too. The twists and turns her life kept taking were catching her off guard at every step; she barely recognised her life now compared to before the accident.

Out of their friends, Blaise was the most stressed. He kept asking not only Draco, but also Hermione, desperate questions whenever he couldn't figure something out straight away. Ron, on the other hand, had evidently reached the point where he didn't care and was more or less sitting around, aimlessly flicking through various notes of Hermione's that she was finished with.

Harry seemed quite content to spend all his time fussing over Orion and ignore the fact that he was about to sit the most difficult exams he had ever had. Draco, of course, was having none of it and kept either taking Orion herself, or else handing him off to Sirius, and putting a book into her husband's hands, or else quizzing him.

Overall as a group it seemed that they were actually pretty well prepared and they had even found time to have a study session with several of the other Gryffindors, who had shown up pleading for Hermione to help them. No-one commented on it, but Seamus, Dean, Neville, Lavender and Parvati were obviously  pleasantly surprised when Draco automatically started helping them as well.

Harry knew that Draco was probably helping them mostly because by teaching others she remembered details more clearly herself; and maybe in part because she knew he would approve. But whatever her motives, knowing that Draco was making an effort with people she no doubt wasn't really comfortable around made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

-#-

The Monday of the first week of their OWLS came around all too quickly. Sirius made them both eat a good breakfast, and told them not to worry, they’d beenstudying hard enough to pass NEWTs; OWLs were going to be easy. Draco was so happy to have his support; though it was just as hard as it had been every other morning to leave Orion in his care, she no longer worried as much; Sirius had proved himself more than capable of caring for them and their small baby.

All the students met outside the exam room and the hallway was quickly becoming filled with the nervous chattering of the fifth years; they discussed what  might be on the paper in anxious tones, not knowing if they’d revised enough (or in some cases, know full well that they haven’t).

Harry took Draco a little way apart from the group, to reassure her before she worried her way through her lip; he rubbed her back, telling her that she would have no trouble, and promised that Orion would be fine with Sirius. Of course she knew this; but having Harry tell her so made it that much easier to accept. It just confirmed again how much he loved her, how much care he took to ensure her peace of mind.

So it was with a smile that Draco started her Charms Theory exam. She was half tempted to look around and check on her husband, who was seated directly behind her as they shared the same surname and all students were placed in alphabetical order; but she managed to resist the urge. She read through the paper and was delighted to see that she could answer every question. The revision sessions with Hermione had really paid off, she thought, as she made a start on the question on Levitation Charms.

-#-

"That went well," Hermione said happily a couple of hours later, as she linked her arm with Draco's.

"It did," she agreed. "I was particularly pleased with my answer to the question on the counter-charm for hiccups."

They were on their way back to Harry and Draco's rooms, having just finished the exam, and Harry rolled his eyes at the pair of them as he followed a few paces behind, with Ron and Blaise to either side of him.

"Can we NOT rehash the whole exam again, it was bad enough having to go through it once," Ron grumbled. "I got all muddled with cheering charms," he confessed quietly.

Blaise snorted in amusement.

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione said with a resigned sigh, smiling at him over her shoulder "we went over them yesterday."

Draco gave the password to their rooms and stepped through with Hermione; Harry, Ron and Blaise just behind them. It was then they discovered that they had unexpected company, however, and Draco seemed to be frozen to the spot.

"Ah; Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, Mr Zabini; would you be so kind as to give us some time with Mr and Mrs Potter?" Dumbledore asked with what seemed like forced politeness.

Harry stepped up to Draco's side, spotting the unknown man who was standing between the Headmaster and Sirius; no-one seemed particularly comfortable with his presence there. Draco scowled at the stranger and moved around them all to Orion's bassinette, picking up their sleeping son.

"Hey my baby boy," Draco whispered to him, "Mummy missed you; Mummy hates being away from you."

"We'll see you later," Blaise told them in hushed tones, hastily dragging Ron and Hermione back out of the door they had just come in through.

"Yeah... later..." Harry said vaguely; his focus on the man who was intruding on their rooms, on their private space and who he could only assume was there, on the ministry's behalf, to assess their ability to care for Orion.

The door clicked shut, indicating that their friends had left and he felt enormous gratitude that both Dumbledore and Sirius were there with them in that moment. Pulling himself together he crossed the room and rested his chin on Draco's shoulder; the sight of Orion's slow gentle, sleepy breaths calming him better than any calming draught could.

"Daddy missed you too," he whispered, "we always miss you, every second we aren't with you," he promised Orion.

"Touching..." the ministry inspector said in a droll, bored voice, "however your absence earlier this morning is already cause for concern."

"We had an Exam!" Harry growled in annoyance, turning to glare at the intruder, "Your ministry WANTED us to complete our education, and it wasn't as though Orion was uncared for."

"Sirius is one of his approved guardians," Draco sneered; he had  no doubt this man was in Lucius’ pocket, "we are with Orion every moment we aren't spending on our education , as agreed with the committee."

"The Potters have been doing a marvellous job of maintaining their school work," Dumbledore told the man proudly.

"And Orion has been receiving all the care he could ever need," Sirius added, "either from Harry and Draco, or else from myself, or Molly Weasley."

"I think I will be the judge of that," the official told them pompously, "I shall be spending the rest of the day observing your son's care; making notes," he added, tapping on the notepad in his hand.

"So be it," Harry said with impatience; they had known this day was coming, and the hostility was presumably courtesy of Lucius' Gringott's vault, so he braced himself for what was bound to be a trying day.

-#-

That afternoon the fifth years were all gathered, waiting for the start of their Charms Practical exam; huddled in groups speculating about what they were about to be tested on and debating small details that they probably should have all learned long ago. When Harry and Draco arrived a few minutes later, most people ignored them; their friends, however, could not.

"Who was that earlier?" Hermione demanded in a hushed voice as she pulled the Potters over into an empty corner of the room, for at least a semblance of privacy. "Was he from the ministry?"

Harry nodded solemnly and explained what had happen in the time since their friends had been asked to leave; the inspector - Mr Blishwick, he had eventually introduced himself as - had hung over their shoulders and made scathing noises at everything they had done.

Dumbledore and Sirius had been more than enthusiastic when Harry and Draco included them in their last minute preparations and questions about charms; and they had all done their very best to ignore Mr Blishwick when he implied that they needed to rethink their priorities, despite the fact that Orion was peacefully asleep at the time.

"He is just so obviously looking to criticise us," Draco grumbled. She was taking it even more personally than Harry; though it wasn't clear whether that was because she was Orion's mother or that it was probably Lucius' fault that Mr Blishwick was being quite so difficult about the whole thing.

"He suggested that Dumbledore should leave, you know," Harry told them. "Apparently having him there was an 'unfair representation of day-to-day life', as though our 'day-to-day' life includes that ministry pawn breathing down our necks," he complained.

"Well it isn't like any of you have done anything wrong, right?" Ron asked, "I mean, he can make this as difficult as he likes, but if Orion is being cared for there is still nothing they can do."

"Ron's right, and with Dumbledore there watching over proceedings it would be a lot more complicated for them to get ... creative... with their report writing," Blaise pointed out with a smirk.

"You don't think he would actually... lie on the report do you?" Hermione asked in disbelief that someone would besmirch an official form by presenting anything other than the complete truth.

"Sadly, Hermione," Harry told her, "I think that is exactly what he would do if he wasn't worried about Dumbledore challenging him on it. But yeah, you guys are right,  I am sure it is going to be fine," he  said, managing a smile, despite his nerves from the combination of the inspection and exams, "Thanks."

"So is he gone now?" Hermione enquired.

Draco shook her head, looking annoyed, "He apparently wanted to see more of how Sirius coped without us there, which is fine... I suppose; and I am betting he will still be there when we are done here," she grumbled. "I just really wish he could be done already and leave us alone."

Harry wrapped his arms around her and despite her normal hesitance with letting their school mates see her in such a moment of weakness, she allowed them the moment of comfort from each other.

"It is just for today and then we won't have to deal with him again until three months from now," Harry told her  quietly. "At which point we will have just started back at school again."

"Assuming he doesn't decide that he wants to see our home life away from school and do a slightly early visit," Draco said, sounding worried, "perhaps we should actually assume he is going to do that."

"Probably," Harry agreed with a sigh, "but let's not worry about that just yet and get through the next two weeks of exams first."

"Exams, yes. Erm, Hermione..." and with that Draco was off in a discussion with the other girl and Harry just smiled at them both fondly, doing his very best not to listen because he was fairly sure that trying to push any more Charms facts into his brain was going to start pushing others out of his ears.

"You should see the way you are looking at her right now," Blaise whispered in his ear.

"I bet I look like a goofy fool in love," Harry said quietly.

"Yep," Ron said, as though Harry were a lost cause.

"Good," Harry whispered back, "'cause I am. Though it is pretty great that those two have each other to obsessively study with," he said with a nod towards the two girls, "saves us from their madness."

Blaise and Ron nodded their agreement to that sentiment and the three boys found themselves seats nearby and tried to prepare themselves mentally for their exam.

-#-

In the couple of hours following their afternoon assessment, Mr Blishwick was, as Draco had predicted, still hanging around; and more than that, he was bothering them all so much that, when Dumbledore suggested they all have dinner in the great hall, Harry and Draco readily agreed without a second thought.

"It would be an honour if you were to sit with us at the head table," Dumbledore offered the inspector, with a  disarming smile that was fooling no-one. "That way you will be able to observe the Potters with Orion without interfering with their usual parenting," he added, leading the way out of the room.

"Oh thank Merlin," Draco whispered very softly as Sirius handed her the small bag which contained all their baby supplies; Hermione had given it to them as a birthing present and it had an extension charm on it which made it capable of holding everything they could possibly need despite its diminutive size.

"Not long now," Harry assured her with a kiss to her temple, Orion cradled in his arms.

"Come on Potters," Sirius said happily, throwing his arms over Harry and Draco's shoulders.

"What are you so pleased about?" Harry asked with a laugh.

"I get to sit at the head table," Sirius told them smugly, "going to enjoy watching Snivellus' face when he sees that."

"Sirius," Harry said, his voice low in warning, "please don't start something; Snape has been good to us."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sirius said with a playful grin, "don't worry, I will play nice if he does."

"You could try being the better man and play nice even if he doesn't," Harry suggested with an eyebrow raised in challenge.

Draco tried to hide her amused smirk at Sirius' disappointed expression, but hoped that the two men, the only real father figures she had, could at least learn to not antagonise each other; it seemed unlikely they would ever learn to get along.

Sirius looked between them and sighed, "Okay, I will behave, I promise," he said with resignation. "Now, come on, we better hurry; we would _hate_ Mr Blishwick to worry where we have gotten to."

-#-

Perhaps it should have occurred to them that this was the first time that they had taken Orion to the Great Hall; and also the first time that most of the people there had seen him. After all, up till now they  had been careful to keep their son from the prying eyes of anyone they did not trust. So really  they should not have been surprised by the many faces which turned their way as they entered the room, nor the whispers which spread throughout the student body.

"Go on, go sit down," Sirius encouraged, giving each of them a small shove, when Harry and Draco seemed to be frozen to the spot.

Harry automatically held Orion closer against his chest and led the way to where their friends were making space for them at the Gryffindor table. Draco smiled when she saw that Blaise had carried on sitting with Ron and Hermione, even in his and Harry's absence.

"Didn't think we’d see you here." Hermione said as Harry and Draco  sat down across from her.

"Blishwick was driving us crazy," Harry told her with a smile.

"He had the nerve to accuse me of attempting to smother Orion," Draco whispered, "I was just trying to keep a little dignity while feeding him; the blanket wasn't anywhere near his face."

"You know he was just looking for things to complain about," Blaise reminded her.

Draco turned to look up at the head table; Blishwick was watching them with narrowed eyes, absentmindedly picking at the plate of food in front of him. She couldn't help but smile at the glare Professor Snape was sending towards Sirius, he looked as though someone had replaced his pumpkin juice with lemon; Sirius though was true to his word and looked like he was very much enjoying his seat at the high table, as he talking animatedly with Professor McGonagall.

"Can we have a cuddle, Harry?" Neville asked.

"I think Draco would have something to say about you making a move on her husband, Neville," Seamus said with a grin.

"I meant with Orion," Neville said with a chuckle.

"Not today, Neville," Harry told him apologetically. "Don't look but there is a guy up at the head table watching how we are taking care of him and we have already been judged on handing him off to Sirius," he explained.

"Oh, okay," Neville said with a fond smile at the young family.

Draco finished helping himself to a plate full of food, chopping it up into small pieces so that it would be easy to eat with just one free hand, and then took Orion from his father, giving Harry a chance to deal with his own dinner.

"They're adorable right?" Blaise whispered into Neville's ear.

Neville turned and smiled at the Slytherin boy, "Yeah... all three?"  he asked.

"Absolutely," Blaise told him, mirroring the smile.


	25. The End of a Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 25, enjoy.
> 
> Things have progressed beautifully and I am almost done with not only chapter 26, but chapter 27 as well; I even have a moderate plan in place for chapter 28. So things are looking good for the next few weeks at least. 
> 
> A big thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their help with this chapter.

_ Previously _

_"Not today, Neville," Harry told him apologetically. "Don't look but there is a guy up at the head table watching how we are taking care of him and we have already been judged on handing him off to Sirius," he explained._

_"Oh, okay," Neville said with a fond smile at the young family._

_Draco finished helping himself to a plate full of food, chopping it up into small pieces so that it would be easy to eat with just one free hand, and then took Orion from his father, giving Harry a chance to deal with his own dinner._

_"They're adorable right?" Blaise whispered into Neville's ear._

_Neville turned and smiled at the Slytherin boy, "Yeah... all three?"  he asked._

_"Absolutely," Blaise told him, mirroring the smile._

-#-

Sirius was leaning against the wall outside the great hall; Harry sat on the floor by his feet, his legs together and knees bent up, supporting Orion so that he could make eye contact with the three week old baby. Harry was holding a cuddly lion toy, which Sirius had bought for Orion; letting his small son try to grab it and loving the tiny happy noises Orion was making when he wiggled the toy gently.

They were waiting for Draco, who was about to finish his Ancient Runes exam; his final one for their first week of OWLs. The exams had gone well so far and they found that they actually had more time with Orion than they had had during the weeks of normal lessons.

“Hey Orion,” Hermione said in a high pitched babying voice as she sat down next to Harry, letting a tiny baby hand grip one of her fingers; little baby blue eyes moving around trying to make sense of their surroundings.

“Yes, hi Hermione,” Harry said teasingly, “it is lovely to see you too, I am very well thank you.”

Sirius gave a short barking laugh.

“Oh hush you,” she told him, elbowing him gently in the ribs, “he is just too cute. Can’t get enough of his adorable little fingers,” she said in her higher voice. “Now let me have a cuddle,” she commanded.

“I would love to give you a hug, Hermione, but Orion would get in the way,” Harry said with a grin, but Hermione was already carefully picking up his son.

“Is she monopolising him again?” Draco asked in a mock exasperated tone as she joined them.

“Of course she is,” Sirius told him. “I think you are probably lucky that she hasn’t run off with him yet.”

“Like she would dare,” Draco said in a truly deadly tone.

“You know I wouldn’t,” Hermione assured them quickly, “I want to be able to give him back when he needs changing.”

“So how did the exam go?” Harry asked; pointedly ignoring the stares of the other students who were also leaving the exam.

“As well as could be expected,” Draco told him with a shrug; all her attention on her son as she sat down next to Hermione and ran a finger over Orion’s pale cheek.

“It was fairly straight forward,” Hermione agreed, making soft cooing noises as Orion waved a clenched fist out in front of himself.

“Come on you lot, no point sitting around in the hall ways,” Sirius insisted, dragging Harry to his feet.

Draco managed to steal her son back from Hermione, despite the sad expression that put on the latter’s face.

“I have just spent all week doing exams too, the last several hours of which was translating runes,” Draco insisted, “I just want to cuddle him for a bit now that I don’t have to worry about an exam tomorrow; he is _MY_ son you know,” she reminded her.

“Yeah, I know,” Hermione admitted a bit sheepishly, “I just really love him.”

Harry and Draco both turned delighted smiles on their friend.

“And we love that you love him,” Harry assured her, “and I am very glad that his Auntie Hermione wants to spend so much time with him.”

“Auntie Hermione,” she repeated; the corner of her mouth twitching with restrained glee and Harry suspected that she was only just managing to hold in a squeal of joy.

Harry threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side, as they headed towards the Gryffindor common room; that being their preferred entrance to their rooms as they were less likely to encounter resistance there.

“Of course Auntie Hermione,” he told her, “You are going to be a big part of his life, if I get my way.”

Harry didn’t know quite what happened but suddenly he had a face full of bushy brown hair and a pair of arms tightly gripping around his neck.

“Yeah, yeah, I love you too, Hermione,” Harry told her with an amused chuckle which made the Gryffindor girl release him, a red flush colouring her cheeks.

-#-

The weekend was surprisingly relaxing; Harry openly admitted that he was anxious regarding Monday’s potions tests but Draco was more than willing to help him prepare. There were nearly always various friends around, either wanting help with a particular subject or wanting a chance to hold Orion; frequently both.

It was amazing how quickly the Gryffindors had become taken with the tiny boy; wanting to learn how to hold him and care for him, though they were still quick enough to hand him back to Harry and Draco as soon as he started to smell.

“Who would have thought such a scrawny git like Harry would create such a pretty baby?” Seamus teased as he sat holding Orion a bit stiffly; apparently not trusting himself to not drop the baby.

“Hey!” Harry objected, looking up with a small frown from the page of notes he was writing out.

Draco, however, snorted in amusement, “Must be because Orion takes after me,” she said proudly.

Neville leaned over Seamus’s shoulder. “Hmm, but he doesn’t look like a pointy git either, so that can’t be it.”

“HEY!” Draco scowled, making Harry have to bite his lip to keep from laughing.

“I guess pointiness and scrawniness must balance each other out,” Dean suggested, off hand, “because you two do make a cute baby.”

“Must be,” Blaise said, pushing well into Neville’s personal space to peer down at Orion, who was fast asleep. “Think you are right about his hair though, Draco; it already seems a few shades darker than when he was first born. Aren’t you going to be _SO_ happy if your first born inherits that Potter hair?”

Draco scowl deepened, “Delighted,” she told them through clenched teeth.

“Don’t worry, Love,” Harry said with an amused smirk, “you will have a lifetime to work out how to make both Orion’s and my hair behave how you want.”

Draco groaned and dropped her head onto her book, which was open on the table in front of her. “I know I brought this on myself,” she whispered quietly, “but, why me?”

Harry and Ron were the only ones sitting close enough to hear; Harry patted Draco’s leg in mock sympathy.

“Don’t worry, Draco,” Ron whispered to her, “look at all the Gryffindors you have around you to help keep you sane.”

Draco groaned; hitting her head against her book again.  “Great...” she mumbled, “thanks for that Ron.”

“Glad I could help,” he told her happily with a pat on her back, making Harry laugh again.

-#-

The second week of OWLs passed much like the first, though with the thankful absence of a ministry visit; and Ron managed to talk both Harry and Draco into joining the end of exam celebration that was taking place in the Gryffindor common room.

“You’re going to take Orion with you?” Sirius asked in surprise as Draco carefully put a warm dark green jumper on her son.

“Of course,” Draco told him, “you know full well that I would have had him with me in lessons and the exams if I could.”

“Fair point,” Sirius said, taking a seat and watching fondly as Draco scooped Orion up in her arms and nibbled playfully on his fingers, which Orion obviously enjoyed. “I just have memories of a few of our end of year parties and they would definitely not have been baby friendly.” A distant look came over Sirius’ eyes and Draco assumed he was remembering the trouble that he and his friends had gotten up to in their school days.

“Ready to go?” Harry asked as he came out of the bathroom; he had supposedly been brushing his hair, or at least that was what Draco had sent him in there to do.

“We are,” Draco confirmed, “I know I shouldn’t still be surprised by your hairbrush-resistant hair, but still...”

“I know, Love,” he said, stealing a quick kiss, “but it is a lost cause.”

“You’re telling me,” Draco said, running her fingers affectionately through his dark locks; she complained about it, but in truth she was becoming rather fond of the scruffy look; it suited Harry.

“You could join us if you like,” Harry told his godfather.

Sirius looked very tempted, but he felt old enough around Harry, Draco and their friends, without being in the familiar common room which would surely hammer home just how much things had changed in the years since he thought of the place as home.

“I will pass, thought I would head down to the Three Broomsticks,” he said with a wide grin that told the young couple all they needed to know about the man’s evening plans.

Harry laughed, “Well, try not to get into too much trouble,” he advised.

“Trouble?” Sirius said with a gasp of mock horror, “Who do you think I am?” he added with a wink.

Draco rolled her eyes and handed Orion to Harry, so that she could wrap the baby sling around her; between the pair of them they had their sleeping son securely in the sling within a few short moments.

“I assume I don’t need to tell you two to behave yourselves?” Sirius asked, getting up to see them out.

“Of course not,” Draco assured him with her best disarming smile.

“Yes, because you never do anything you aren’t supposed to,” Sirius pointed out sarcastically.

“You know you can trust us,” Harry said, sounding quite exasperated over his godfather’s teasing.

“And I suppose this little guy is a figment of my imagination then?” he asked with amusement; brushing a hand over Orion’s, now almost brown, fluffy hair.

“Okay, fair point,” Harry yielded, “but you have to admit we have been pretty responsible since then.”

“That you have, Harry,” Sirius said proudly, throwing an arm over his shoulder, “that you have. Go on; have fun tonight, I will see you later... or maybe tomorrow morning.”

And with that they were all but shoved out of their own rooms, into the castle corridors.

-#-

“I thought you said that Harry said he and Draco would be coming?” Blaise said to Hermione, feeling really awkward sitting in the middle of the red and gold coloured common room, surrounded by many who had considered him a natural rival for most of their academic careers so far.

“They’ll be here,” Ron told him, as he sat himself on Blaise’s other side, holding out an almost full bottle of what looked a lot like firewhiskey. “Drink?” he offered.

“Err... sure,” Blaise said, accepting the bottle and taking a swig.

“Honestly,” Hermione said in an exasperated tone, “you’re sixteen years old, you shouldn’t be drinking,” she told them. “Where did you even get that?” she asked curiously.

“Courtesy of Fred and George,” Ron said proudly; raising the bottle in a toast as he accepted it back from Blaise and taking another drink.

“Dare I enquire where they headed off to after ensuring you were suitably supplied with inappropriate beverages?” Hermione asked.

“Not a clue, probably in a corner somewhere testing some new creation of theirs,” Ron told her with a shrug.

Hermione frowned at that; the twins had spent most of the year perfecting their products and while she didn’t approve of what they were up to, it wasn’t like they listened to her on such matters.

“NO MORE EXAMS!” Someone cried out and there was a happy cheer throughout the room, drowning out her thoughts.

It wasn’t exactly a rowdy party but the atmosphere was definitely a happy one; Ron had spoken to Dobby, on Harry’s suggestion, and organised a wide selection of snack foods and more than one or two people seemed to have managed to smuggle alcohol in. The younger years had been banned, with a lot of very loud vocal protests, from the common room for the night but everyone from fifth year and up was in a celebratory mood.

So it was quite a loud common room that Harry and Draco stepped into a short while later.

“Draco...,” Blaise said with obvious relief; jumping up from the sofa and hurrying over to his friend.

“Wasn’t sure you would be here,” Draco told him, smirking when she realised he wasn’t quite steady on his feet. “Have you been drinking?” she asked with amusement.

“Blame Weasley,” he told her with a shrug. “You brought Orion...? To an end of exams party?” he asked incredulously, looking into the sling to watch the small boy still fast asleep despite the raucous energy all around them.

“He doesn’t seem bothered,” Harry pointed out as he peered down at his infant son.

“HEEEEEY!” Ron said happily... and loudly, as he headed over to them, “Want a drink?” he offered, holding out the bottle of firewhiskey, which Blaise noticed was definitely a fair bit emptier than the last time he saw it.

“No thank you; given I am still Orion’s food source I hardly think that alcohol would be wise,” Draco said with a roll of her eyes.

“Could ‘a just said no,” Ron mumbled, “’Arry?” he said as he tried to hold out the bottle again.

“No thanks mate,” Harry told him, “looks like you drank my share already anyway.”

“Awww, you brought Orion?” Ron said, suddenly noticing the sling around Draco, “Can I hold him?” he added excitedly, his eye wide.

Draco looked horrified but Harry laughed and shook his head.

“I think not,” he told him. “Just how much _HAVE_ you drunk?”

“Not enough,” Ron slurred, with the most uncoordinated attempt at a wink any of them had ever seen.

“I beg to differ,” Hermione told him sternly, easily managing to snatch the offending liquid from his loose grip.

“HEY!” Ron cried out but when he attempted to snatch it back, Hermione took one step away from him and watched as he fell, face first, to the floor. “Ouch...” he said in a voice that was muffled by the carpet.

The others however were having a great deal of trouble not laughing hysterically, with several of them biting their lips to restrain themselves; and the sixth year girls, who were in a group over near the fireplace, weren’t even trying to stop their all-out giggles.

“There’s always one,” Neville said in an obviously amused tone, “I guess we should have known it would be you, Ron,” he said, as he helped the completely uncoordinated red-head onto the nearby sofa.

“I should probably be offended by that,” Ron mumbled with an amused and somewhat blissful smile.

“Probably,” Harry replied with a short laugh; taking a seat next to his friend. He looked up when he heard a small whine from their son.

Draco sat herself on the floor, by Harry’s feet and took the bag of baby supplies when he handed it to her. She manoeuvred Orion out of the sling, checked his nappy was clean and fished out a bottle of milk she had expressed earlier. “It’s okay little man, Mummy has food for you,” she told him absently; getting the small teat into his mouth with practiced ease.

Of course the other students couldn’t resist coming and getting a look at the less than a month old baby.

“He is so tiny,” Lavender cooed as she sat on the floor next to Draco and ran a hand over Orion’s hair.

The action clearly distracted him from feeding because he turned his head, losing the bottle from between his little lips; Draco glared at the girl lightly but easily got Orion to suckle on it again. Harry was just impressed that his wife had managed not to insult Lavender, though he was fairly sure the Gryffindor girl had got the message perfectly well from Draco’s expression; at least she didn’t try to touch Orion again.

“So do you know what subjects you are going to take next year?” Hermione asked Blaise with enthusiasm.

Blaise opened his mouth to answer but Ron’s loud voice beat him to it. “It is an END of exams party, Hermione, can we not think about next year at least until the start of summer?” he grumbled.

She crossed her arms over her chest but didn’t say anything, taking a seat next to Draco instead.

“He really was hungry,” she commented as Orion finished off the last dregs.

“He always is; no idea where he got such an appetite from, it isn’t like me or Harry particularly eat lots,” Draco said.

She quickly removed the empty bottle from sucking lips and dropping it back into the magical baby bag. Harry already had a cloth out and over Draco’s shoulder, ready to burp Orion.

“Can I?” Hermione asked eagerly.

“Err... sure,” Draco agreed and Harry moved the cloth onto Hermione’s shoulder instead.

“How come she gets...?” Ron started to grumble.

“Because she isn’t completely rat-arsed,” Harry told him, though he sounded like he was humouring a small child.

It was hardly the first time Hermione had burped Orion but with exams her focus had been elsewhere. “He is growing so quickly,” she laughed as she patted him firmly on the back, “he definitely wasn’t this heavy a few weeks ago.”

“Really?” Harry asked her.

“Well I imagine you don’t notice it as much, being around him all the time, but definitely,” she told him, just as she managed to get an impressive burp from the baby on her shoulder.

It seemed that Orion’s presence in the room seemed to calm them all and while there was still lots of laughter, eating, drinking and conversation it was a lot less loud than it had been earlier; not that anyone seemed to mind.

They let Orion lay on the floor in the middle of the room, though Harry or Draco was always right at his side, playing with the various toys that they had brought with them, and the party just went on and moved around them. Draco had growled at one of the sixth year girls when she said Orion was the new Gryffindor mascot, making her back away quickly with a rather worried look in her eyes, but other than that it was a great evening, and Harry was sure he couldn’t have been happier.

-#-

Harry had told Molly Weasley, more than once, that she didn’t have to come and help them to move everything to Grimmauld Place; but for once he was glad that she had completely ignored him. It seemed that Orion had more stuff than they had realised and so the process of moving it all, whilst still taking care of a nearly one month old baby, was a lot more time-consuming than they had envisioned.

They had already made several trips and had managed to sort most of their belongings into boxes; feeling that they had done well, Harry and Mrs Weasley were sat on the sofas in the Hogwarts rooms taking what Mrs Weasley called a well-earned tea break. Draco was taking a nap with Orion and Sirius was unpacking boxes of Orion’s toys and clothes in the nursery, next to Harry and Draco’s room, at Grimmauld Place.

There had been a lovely moment though when Molly had found the third bracelet that Harry had bought Draco for Valentine’s Day; the one that was a matching set with the ones that Harry and Draco were already wearing and could help guide the wearing in the direction of its partners. With everything else that had been going on, it had simply been forgotten. Orion was not exactly impressed, when they first placed the metal band around his wrist and the charms adjusted to make it a perfect fit, but within ten minutes he seemed to have forgotten it was even there.

“So the ministry have no concerns about how you have been caring for Orion?” Molly asked, when Harry told her that they had had a letter from the Ministry’s Child Services department.

“It was from the woman who was at the meeting we went to,” Harry explained, “Madam Coram, I think it was; head of the department anyway. She said that despite some mild concerns that the inspector raised about us not being around enough, that we seemed to be doing, and I quote, a marvellous job,” he told her proudly.

“Well I quite agree, of course,” Mrs Weasley told them, “but I am glad that the Ministry can see it too.”

“I just hope they keep thinking that way,” Harry told her, “I don’t know what we would do if they tried to take him.”

“I am sure you will never have to find out, dear,” she assure him; using a one armed hug to pull him against her side. “Now, come on, let’s see if we can’t get the rest of this stuff moved before that son of yours wakes up.”


	26. Familial Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 26, the writing is going well at the moment and we have up to chapter 28 written and I think I know what most of chapter 29 is going to be, so things are progressing nicely; which means continued regular updates for you lot. ^_^  
> Enjoy.
> 
> Also I officially completed my BEng Electrical Engineering Degree on Friday with a 2:1 (second best grade possible for those of you who don’t know) so just thought I would share this good news with you all.
> 
> A big thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their help with this chapter.

_ Previously: _

_“It was from the woman who was at the meeting we went to,” Harry explained, “Madam Coram, I think it was; head of the department anyway. She said that despite some mild concerns that the inspector raised about us not being around enough, that we seemed to be doing, and I quote, a marvellous job,” he told her proudly._

_“Well I quite agree, of course,” Mrs Weasley told them, “but I am glad that the ministry can see it too.”_

_“I just hope they stay of that opinion,” Harry told her, “I don’t know what we would do if they tried to take him.”_

_“I am sure you will never have to find out, dear,” she assure him; using a one armed hug to pull him against her side. “Now, come on, let’s see if we can get the rest of this stuff moved before that son of yours wakes up.”_

-#-

Both Harry and Draco were really loving being back at Grimmauld Place; at home. Sirius was pretty glad too; for as much as he loved spending time with his grandson, he was enjoying having his free time back, not to mention he was already pretty tired of changing so many nappies every day.

They had set up all of Orion’s clothes, toy, nappies, changing mat, cot, and the rest of the ridiculously long list of things he seemed to need, in the nursery; which was attached to their room by a direct door that Sirius had had Kreacher put in. Draco, however, had been adamant that their baby boy was still too young to be separated from them and so Orion was continuing to sleep in his bassinette in their bedroom.

Both Harry and Draco missed having their friends around but it was nice to have some time for themselves, even if it was just cuddled up on the sofa half asleep. They had given Hermione, Blaise, Ron and Mrs Weasley access to Grimmauld place and told them that they would be able to use the floo, so it wasn’t a complete surprise when, only four days after moving home, Blaise came to visit.

“My mother is driving me crazy,” Blaise said snappishly as he stepped through the floo into the living room, where Draco was lying on the floor, with Orion, trying to get her son to grab the rattle she was holding.

Draco looked up and smiled at her friend, “What happened?”

“She doesn’t like that we are friends again,” Blaise snarled, sitting down on the floor next to Draco.

Blaise couldn’t help but smile when Orion’s eyes tried to search out the source of the voice that wasn’t his mother’s.

“So you thought visiting me would appease her?” Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well I wasn’t stupid enough to tell her _WHERE_ I was going,” Blaise pointed out with a roll of his eyes, “She seems to think that you have become ‘corrupted by Gryffindors’ and that you are forcing me to spend time in their company.”

Draco laughed, “Yes, because I have always been _SO_ good at forcing you into anything,” she said sarcastically.

“Well quite,” Blaise agreed, “She is just worried that with the vendetta that Lucius has obviously taken up against you, that he will take it out on me and potentially limit my options for what I can do in the future.”

A concerned frown slid onto Draco’s face at that, “You don’t think she might have a point?” she asked.

Blaise however just shrugged, “Maybe, maybe not; either way, you are my friend and I don’t care,” he said stubbornly, “besides, don’t you think that Harry’s friends are just as influential; who knows, maybe becoming friends with you and Harry is the best thing I could have done for my future.”

“And you told her this?”

“Of course, but you know how she is,” Blaise told him, looking unconcerned. “She will get over it... eventually. Where’s Harry?”

“Sleeping,” Draco told him, “he got up to feed Orion twice last night and again to change his nappy.”

“Err, I thought Harry ‘didn’t have the right equipment’ to feed Orion,” Blaise pointed out with a smirk and a nod towards Draco’s chest.

“Oh...” Draco laughed, “I’m trying to always keep a few bottles of expressed milk ready,” Draco told him. “It’s doing wonders for my sleep now that Harry does at least one feed a night, let me tell you.”

Blaise chuckled, “You really have him wrapped around your finger, don’t you?”

“Of course,” she told him proudly, shaking the rattle again and making Orion’s tiny fist brush against it.

-#-

Orion was a month old; Harry had checked the calendar twice that morning, when Draco told him that and had insisted that it couldn’t possible have been that long already. Sirius had teasingly told Harry that getting confused about time was a sign of getting old but Harry had bit back that if he was old than Sirius must be ancient, which had successfully shut his godfather up.

“I think the constantly being woken up in the night and taking naps in the day must just being making the days all blur together,” Draco suggested, and Harry thought she was probably right.

They were flooing back to Hogwarts that afternoon, so that Madam Pomfrey could check Orion’s growth and progress, and, if all was well, give him the first of him inoculations. They had read about them in several of baby books they had been given and it seemed that it was possible they might make their tiny son slightly unwell for a few days, which was making them dread it.

Molly was going to meet them at the castle as they felt it was best that they had all of Orion’s guardians present, at least for the first check up.

“Afternoon Madam Pomfrey,” Harry greeted happily as they entered the familiar medical wing.

“Harry, welcome; take a seat I will be with you all in just a minute,” she said, leaning her head out of her office into the main ward.

Draco sat on the edge of one of the bed and Harry quickly climbed up next to him; Sirius and Molly had perched themselves on the edge of the bed opposite. Orion was awake, alert and surprisingly quiet as he was cuddled in Molly’s arms; she had be passed the small boy as soon as they met, knowing she didn’t get to spend at much time with him as she would like.

“So how is everyone?” the nurse asked as she came over to them a minute or so later.

“Hungry,” Sirius grumbled.

“Well I did tell you to have some lunch before we came,” Draco chastised.

“We’re fine,” Harry told her, shaking his head at his godfather’s silliness.

“No residual pain, Draco?” the nurse asked.

“A bit of occasional back pain but nothing much,” she told her happily. “Oh and sometimes he is a bit too enthusiastic when he feeds,” she added gently rubbing her chest to ease the remembered pain.

“That sounds completely normal; if you have any problems, let me know as soon as possible,” Madam Pomfrey instructed. “Now, let’s have a look at this little man,” she said, turning and smiling down at the one month old.

She moved a finger back and forward in front of his face, seeming pleased when his eyes followed it and his hands reached out.

“Could you move around behind Molly and Sirius, and call for him, Draco?” she requested.

Harry shrugged at the questioning look that Draco gave him and so she did as asked.

“Orion,” she called and felt a little silly when she used what Harry called her ‘mummy voice’. It was somewhat higher than her usual one and no matter how much she pointed out to him that the books said it was instinctive and normal, he enjoyed teasing her about it.

Draco couldn’t see but Orion twisted his head and was obviously trying to locate his mother.

“Well it seems like his hearing is okay,” the nurse told them as she cast a few spells that neither Harry nor Draco recognised. “He has grown; he is now almost twenty inches and just over eight pounds,” she told them with a smile, as Draco moved back around the bed and brushed a hand through Orion’s slowly browning hair.

“So he is well then?” Harry asked, getting up from the bed and moving over to stand next to Draco.

“He seemed to be a very healthy and happy one month old baby boy,” Madam Pomfrey assured them, letting Orion grab hold of one of her fingers.

“Does this mean he has to have the first of the inoculation potions?” Draco asked.

“It does but we can give you a dose to add to a bottle of milk, so it won’t hurt him,” the nurse explained, “he might get a little grumpy for a day or two after he takes it, but if you are at all worried you can bring him straight back here, or directly to St. Mungo’s.”

The two young parents nodded their understanding and Harry accepted the tiny potion vial that Madam Pomfrey removed from her apron pocket.

“It’s always better to be safe, rather than sorry,” Molly reminded them, hoping to ease the sadness that was in both of their eyes; neither of them wanted their son to suffer, but they did understand that the mild discomfort was preferably by far to the alternative, should they leave their tiny boy unprotected.

As it happened, Orion was as stubborn as his parents; and though he got a mild fever and cried a little more than usual, he handled the inoculation well. If Harry and Draco had had any doubts before, the knowledge that their son was well on his way to having protection for many diseases helped to wipe them away.

-#-

There was a knock at the door. That in itself was weird; a person would have to get through the wards to be able to even reach the front door, in order to knock on it.  The Potters and Sirius were part way through dinner at the time and, as one, they all turned towards the unexpected sound, before sharing confused looks.

Sirius pushed his chair back and headed along the hallway; Harry and Draco hung back near the kitchen, but within sight of the front door.

“Sirius?” Draco said cautiously, clutching Orion closer to her chest.

“I’ll be careful,” he promised looking over his shoulder and shaking his wand to show that he wasn’t unprepared.

Draco glanced to her left and saw that Harry had his wand out as well; he was obviously tense and ready to defend them should the need arise. Sirius opened the door quickly, as though hoping to surprise whoever was on the other side.

 _They did knock, so are probably expecting the door to open_ , Draco thought with some amusement.

“Black,” a familiar deep voice said coldly, and Draco could hear the sneer that the man was surely wearing.

“Snivellus,” Sirius growled.

“Is there an attack expected?” Professor Snape asked as his eyes swept over their defensive positions and the wands pointed towards him.

“Not unless you brought less welcome company,” Draco assured him; resting her hand on Harry’s wrist to get him to lower his wand. “Sirius,” she said in a slow warning voice and reluctantly the older man lowered his wand too.

“Are we to converse here on the doorstep?” Snape asked mockingly, the implied dig at Sirius’ manners hanging in the air.

“Yes,” Sirius answered quickly, “What do you want?” he demanded.

“SIRIUS!” Harry and Draco both chastised.

“We are just having dinner; would you care to join us?” Draco offered, pointedly paying no mind to the disbelief on Sirius’ face.

“I would be delighted,” the potion master accepted, coming into the house; he side stepped around Sirius with a mocking smile.

Draco led Snape towards the kitchen; Harry however hung back when he heard Sirius grumbling under his breath as he shut the front door.

“Be nice,” Harry ordered his godfather.

“I will, if he is.” Sirius told him petulantly.

“Sirius...” Harry pleaded.

The animagus felt like sulking. Scratch that he was sulking, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting; and he felt quite entitled to do so given that his long time rival had just been invited into his house for dinner.

“You know,” Harry said with a laugh, shaking his head in resignation to his godfather’s behaviour, “sometimes you behave more like a baby than Orion,” he told him.

Leaving Sirius to his fit of grumpiness in the hallway, Harry headed back into the kitchen.

“Where’s Sirius?” Draco asked, when Harry returned alone.

“Sulking, of course,” he explained dismissively, sitting down in front of his half eaten plate of Sheppard’s pie that he was sure was cold by now. “I am sure that his stomach will help him get over it in a minute, when he remembers that his food is in here,” he added with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Anyway, I assume there is a reason for your visit,” Draco said, ignoring Sirius as he skulked into the room and sat down heavily on his chair; apparently he was still in a bad mood.

“Is it not plausible that I might have just want to check up on you, Draco?” in a voice that said he knew full well that none of them really believed that to be likely.  “Are you not pleased to see me?”

“Was that a joke?” Harry asked in astonishment.

Snape sneered in his direction at that but otherwise ignored him.

“Of course I am pleased to see you,” Draco said, rolling her eyes; she of course knew that the potion master was capable of being humorous; it was not an aspect of his personality that many people got to see. She was quietly glad that he was sticking around and had not sided with Lucius, but knew better than try to tell the professor as much. “However, I also don’t believe you would come _HERE_ without good reason,” she challenged, with a smirk.

“You are quite right of course,” Snape said coldly; the corner of his mouth twitching into a sneer as he looked around the kitchen they were in and avoided looking at Sirius, who was still silently sulking. “I have just been to visit Malfoy Manor,” he told them bluntly; Snape was not exactly the kind to pull his punches, not even for those, like Draco, who he liked.

Draco visibly stiffened; anything to do with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy rarely brought anything good to her life anymore... perhaps they hadn’t for longer than she liked to believe. It saddened her that even a single mention, of the childhood home she had loved so much, could make her feel sick to her stomach and she hated herself for missing the place.

Harry said nothing but took Orion from her arms, resting their half awake son on his shoulder; he firmly squeezed her hand in a silent show of support and comfort. It helped a little.

“As we suspected, your mother is with child; she is around four months along, she believes,” Snape told her.

“It is more than a little weird that my... brother, for lack of a better word, is going to be younger than my son,” Draco whispered, more to herself than anyone else. ““I suppose we should take this as good news,” she said calmly and despite the brave front she was putting up, Harry could hear the hurt in her voice.

“Your fath....” Snape started, but trailed off, at the look Draco was giving him, and corrected himself. “Lucius is certainly pleased.”

 “Never thought I would be glad of that Bastard’s happiness,” Sirius snarled.

Draco turned to glare at him. “I would _RATHER_ you didn’t use _THAT_ word around me,” she said harshly, “given that _TECHNICALLY_ I am one. Nor do I like you swearing around Orion; as you are well aware,” she added.

“Sorry...” Sirius mumbled.

“There was no mention of you, Harry or Orion whilst I was there, which could indicate that Narcissa’s pregnancy has shifted his focus,” the potion master suggested.

“Or it could just be because they know you don’t approve of Lucius’ attempts to _steal_ our son,” Harry countered.

Snape said nothing but dipped his head in acceptance of Harry’s point.

They fell into a thoughtful silence as they ate and Harry placed, a now sleeping, Orion into a bassinette next to them. Harry couldn’t wait for the dark cloud, that was Lucius Malfoy and his campaign against them, to be gone; but he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty that it was almost like wishing away the first year of Orion’s life. It was of course more complicated that just that, but Harry was spectacularly good at feeling guilty, as Draco had told him on more than one occasion.

It was a tense atmosphere and became decidedly awkward once they had finished eating and no longer had plates of food to distract themselves with.

“I have a letter,” Snape told them; breaking the silence and making them all turn to look at him, “for you, Draco; from your.... err... from Narcissa,” he managed to correct at the last moment.

Snape pulled a piece of carefully folded and sealed parchment from the inside of his robes; he held it out for a few moments but Draco looked like she was paralyzed, so he placed it on the table and slid it over. Harry bit his lip as he watched his wife struggled to find the mental strength to pick up and open the letter.

“I do not expect it will contain anything too bad or...”

“Shut up,” Sirius barked, and surprisingly the potion master complied; though admittedly he didn’t look too happy about it.

“Whatever she has to say isn’t going to change anything,” Harry told her, turning his chair to face her. “Orion and me, and Sirius and Snape... we will all still be here and on your side no matter what she has to say,” he promised.

Draco nodded slowly, and reached out hesitantly; the seal was a familiar reminder of her lost life as much as the mention of Malfoy Manor had been earlier, so it was with an already heavy heart that she began to read.

**_‘My dearest Draco,_ **

**_Severus has told me that you are aware of my pregnancy and that is was the cause of some anguish; I do promise that I am not, nor will I ever try to replace you. I will love this little boy every bit as much as I have always loved you, but my love for you will not be diminished because of it. But I am sorry you have suffered for it and hope you understand I made this choice in the hope that it would improve all our lives._ **

**_Secondly, Severus was kind enough to bring me a picture of Orion; do not worry your father did not see it. Your little boy is beautiful and it breaks my heart that I cannot see or hold or play with my grandson. I truly hope you have found happiness._ **

**_My undying Love,_ **

**_Mother.’_ **

Draco placed it back on the table; surprised that her eyes were dry. It hurt, in both the good and bad ways but they were little more than words now; she wondered if perhaps she was moving on, part of her hoped so but the rest of her hated the idea that she could let go of her remaining blood relatives. That was the point though wasn’t it, they had let her go.

“Draco?” Harry asked softly.

“I’m fine,” she said emotionlessly.

“Are you...?”

“I said I’m fine, Harry,” she insisted a little more abruptly that she had intended. “It is just more words, I am not sure that I can make myself care anymore.”

“Draco...” Sirius started.

“I mean it, Sirius; I am fine,” she said again, “she talks about her love for me and I do understand, because no matter what I will always love Orion, but she didn’t love me enough to fight for me,” she explained, “and so I am done being upset over that family; I have one of my own to focus on now, one that chose me,” she told them.

Harry gave her a sad smile at that, Sirius just looked confused and Snape... he looked... proud? Draco wasn’t sure, but it looked that way.

“Don’t you go feeling sorry for me, Harry Potter,” she said sternly, getting up and giving his a chaste kiss on the lips.

“I wouldn’t dare, Draco Potter,” he retorted with an smirk that promised much; just as soon as they had less company. “Going somewhere?” he asked, as though he only just realised she had gotten to her feet.

“I just need to lie down for a bit... and yes, I am _STILL_ fine,” she added when Harry opened his mouth to speak.

He chuckled, and smile adoringly at her as she walked out of the room; Draco loved it when he looked at her like that, there was nothing like being so sure that he would do anything for her. She was gone maybe three seconds when she appeared back in the doorway with a frown on her face.

“Where did you get a picture of Orion?” she asked, “The one you showed Narcissa.”

“Borrowed courtesy of the headmaster,” Snape explained.

Draco nodded her understanding; they had give the headmaster a copy of the picture that Molly had taken, when she had insisted that she must have a picture of her grandson to take home.

“Well, good night; I am glad you came by, Sir,” she said to the potion master.

Snape bowed his head, “Good night, Draco. I guess I should get back to Hogwarts; Albus will no doubt get concerned if I do not return, from a visit to Malfoy Manor, at a sensible hour.”

“Well don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Sirius said shortly.

Harry sighed; at least they had managed to stay relatively polite while Draco was around.

“Good night, Potter, _Black_ ,” Snape practically spat out the latter name, before sweeping from the room in full dramatic fashion.

They heard the door slam shut a few minutes later and winced; both of them held their breath as they waited for Orion to start crying. It seemed though that the tiny boy was fast asleep enough so as not to be disturbed by the noise and they breathed a sigh of relief.

Apparently too soon though, because at that moment there was a whimper from the bassinette.

“Typical,” Harry grumbled lightly, but moved to pick up his son because the little lungs could get into the swing of things.

Orion whimpered a little longer, whilst being rocked gently, his head resting over Harry’s heart but he soon fell back to sleep, cosseted and comforted by the warmth and unconditional love of his father. Harry wished that all their problems could be solved so easily; that all parent’s love was as unquestionable; then again, had Lucius not been such a terrible father he might never have had his chance with Draco. He glared thoughtfully at the letter which Draco had left on the table, ignoring the concerned look he knew his godfather was giving him.

He didn’t exactly approve of what Narcissa was doing, but he understood why; he just wished it could have been done without causing his beloved so much pain. Harry didn’t doubt that Narcissa loved Draco and he knew, that despite his wife’s protestations, she still loved her mother; he had hoped one day they might have been able to fix their relationship but, with Lucius still firmly in the picture, he just couldn’t see how that was going to be possible.

And he had no idea what to do or think about Draco’s new-found apathy for the situation. He sighed; he could drive himself crazy thinking about everything too hard and so returned his focus to the gentle puffs of air his son was letting out against his chest. _So peaceful_ , he thought to himself.

He managed a smile as he wished Sirius goodnight; his godfather still looked worried but bid him goodnight in return. Harry headed up the stairs to lay his son in the bassinette in their bedroom and went to cuddle up with his wife; promising, in his mind, that he would give his family all the happiness he could provide.


	27. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 27; writing is still progressing, perhaps not quickly, but steadily.
> 
> I have also taken a leaf from Starlight Massacre’s book and created a facebook profile; where I can keep you updated with my progress and talk to you all. If you would like to be friends with me there, this is the link to my Profile: 
> 
> http://www.facebook.com/pipa.bickymonster
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their greatly appreciated help with this chapter.

_ Previously: _

_“Good night, Potter, Black,” Snape practically spat out the latter name, before sweeping from the room in full dramatic fashion._

_They heard the door slam shut a few minutes later and winced; both of them held their breath as they waited for Orion to start crying. It seemed though that the tiny boy was fast asleep enough so as not to be disturbed by the noise and they breathed a sigh of relief._

_Apparently too soon though, because at that moment there was a whimper from the bassinette._

_“Typical,” Harry grumbled lightly, but moved to pick up his son because the little lungs could get into the swing of things._

-#-

It had been a long eighteen months. Remus had learned a great deal from his time with the pack of werewolves that lived in the Himalayas; they had shown him many remedies to help with the weakness he was experiencing after his transformations and even taught him mediation and mind control that allowed him to retain some essence of himself during the full moon without the assistance of the Wolfsbane potion. Now though, he was glad to be home.

It was around three a.m. and the summer air was pleasantly warm as he stood on a London street staring up at the darkened windows of 12 Grimmauld Place; that he could see it at all was a good sign, as it meant that the fidelius charm had not been redone.

He had been away for so long and had had so little contact; the last piece of correspondence was the brief letter he had sent to Sirius at Christmas telling him that he wasn’t able to come home just yet. He had had a letter from Sirius, the previous summer, telling him that the Ministry had finally cleared him of all charges and also that he was going to be moving into Grimmauld Place with Harry as soon as possible.

Remus had seriously considered coming back to England at that point but he had been so close to being accepted by the other werewolves and hence getting some of the answers he so desperately wanted and needed; so he had comforted himself with assurances that Harry and Sirius would look after each other and they could all be together when he got back.

It had been almost impossible to contact anyone once he had moved into the pack’s village and the owl that had brought Sirius’ letter at Christmas only narrowly missed being made into dinner on his promises that there would be no further intrusions to their home; he had included a ‘I will be unreachable’ note on the end of his response.

Now however he was home and excited about seeing both Sirius and Harry again, and was already wondering just how much the teen would have grown in the time they had been apart; he was ready to bet he looked even more like James now.

It was however, the middle of the night, which meant that a loud knock on the door waking them up was likely to be unwelcome, and as such he was standing on the street strongly considering attempting to let himself in.

Apparently there was someone awake though; a light came on in the front room and a man could be seen moving around inside. Remus smiled; he was pretty sure it was Harry. It was somewhat odd him being awake at three in the morning but he was a teenager and as such probably completely unpredictable; he seemed to be doing some strange kind of dance, smiling down at a bundle in his arms, as he approached the window.

Remus frowned; it was very odd behaviour and if he didn’t know better he would think that Harry was rocking a baby. Remus moved closer, standing under one of the street lamps, to make sure that he would be visible should Harry look up from the bundle; and sure enough a couple of minutes later he did so, peering out at the street.

He knew the moment that Harry had spotted him because even from outside the house he could see the grin that broke out on his face; they waved at each other before Harry disappeared from the window and less than a minute later the front door was pulled open.

“Professor Lupin,” Harry greeted happily; pulling Remus into a one-armed hug, the bundle of blankets still securely held in the other arm with what was obviously practiced ease.

“Harry, I have not been a Professor for years, it is Remus or Lupin,” he scolded.

Harry led to way into the house, heading back into the front room and Remus shut the front door behind them.

“It’s really good to see you,” Remus told him as he followed Harry.

“You too,” Harry told him with a grin.

The room was so much lighter and brighter than it had been the last time he had seen the place, though the same dark heavy furniture was still there. Harry was sat on one of the sofas the bundle now carefully resting against his chest; Remus was definitely ready for a few answers.

“Harry...” Remus said hesitantly, taking a seat in the chair closest to where Harry was sat, “I have to ask...” he told him, nodding his head to the blankets Harry was cradling with a great deal of care.

“Oh right, of course,” Harry said excitedly, leaning forward and shifting the bundle of blankets back into one arm and pulling them back enough that Remus could clearly see the tiny pale face of a baby. “THIS is Orion,” he said proudly.

“Orion, he is beautiful,” Remus said, reaching out and running a tentative finger over the sleeping baby’s cheek, “but how old is he; and whose...?”

“Oh, he is mine; he’s my son, and he is seven weeks old,” Harry told him, shifting Orion back against his chest when he seemed to be getting slightly restless.

“Yours?” Remus said slightly faintly; leaning back in his chair. “I was gone for eighteen months, Sirius wrote letters to me last summer and at Christmas; when did this happen? HOW did this happen?”

“Surely I don’t have to tell you how?” Harry asked cheekily.

“Harry...” Remus said in a deep warning voice, leaning forward again, “You’re sixteen, what in Merlin’s name happened?”

“You don’t get to be all judgemental,” Harry snarled quietly, “like you said you were gone for eighteen months.”

“I _THOUGHT_ that Sirius was looking after you; making sure you weren’t making STUPID decisions!” Remus snapped back.

“Shut up,” Harry hissed, moving his hand over Orion’s head, “if you wake him...”

“I just can’t believe he let you make such a mistake,” Remus said quietly, shaking his head sadly.

“My son is not a mistake, and Sirius didn’t LET me,” Harry told him, restraining his anger; he had been so pleased to see his parents’ friend on the doorstep, so glad that he was back; and within five minutes the man was condemning his choices already? “I am sure that whatever you were doing was important, but you don’t know a damned thing about the last year of my life,” Harry told him, getting to his feet and glaring at the werewolf.

“Harry, please sit down,” Remus pleaded, “I just don’t understand how you ended up a father so young. Please tell me what happened.”

“I fell in love,” Harry growled, determinedly staying standing, “that’s what happened; I fell in love, we expressed that love and while that was perhaps not the smartest of decisions, I do NOT regret my son and nor does my wife.”

“Wife...” Remus said faintly again.

“Harry?” a small sleepy voice said from the doorway.

Harry turned quickly towards the entrance to the room, and as he spotted Draco standing there, rubbing her eyes sleepily, he took a calming breath. “Hey, Love,” Harry greeted in a soft voice, moving over to her, “sorry, did we wake you?”

“You did,” she told him a bit grumpily, “what’s going on?” she asked, clearly not quite awake, but took her son into her arms, with the same practiced ease that Harry had shown.

“I fed Orion and then came down here to get him back to sleep; he had just nodded off when I spotted Prof... err... Lupin outside and let him in,” Harry explained.

Draco turned and seemed to finally notice the middle aged man who was in one of the chairs, staring wide eyed at the pair of them.

“Lupin? As in Professor Lupin?” Draco asked, leaning against Harry’s side, rubbing sleep from her eyes with her free hand.

“You can drop the ‘Professor’ part, but yes,” Remus responded, his eyes narrowed in thought trying to work out why the tiny blonde girl, who was apparently Harry’s wife and the mother of his child, looked so very familiar; he just couldn’t place her.

“Lupin, Draco; Draco, Lupin,” Harry said, by way of introductions.

“Draco....?” Remus asked; his eyes suddenly wide again; his head was spinning with confusion and he had been back less than half an hour. “As in Draco Malf...”

“I am NOT a Malfoy,” Draco snarled, a deadly look on her face.

Remus held up a hand in apology, but it seemed that somehow this tiny blonde girl, who Harry was in love with, was the same person as the snooty, arrogant Malfoy boy who he had met several years earlier. He was completely baffled how things had changed so much and apparently his confusion showed on his face.

“It is a really long story,” Harry told him, “one I am definitely too tired to tell right now.”

“Yeah, I could probably do with some sleep too; this is all a bit much for three in the morning,” Remus admitted rubbing his eyes wearily. “We will discuss this tomorrow.”

“No, we will _EXPLAIN_ to you; there is nothing to _discuss_ ,” Harry told him firmly, “I am happy to help you understand what has happened and what you have missed; but you still missed it. Sirius, Dumbledore and Molly Weasley were the ones who helped us through the last year, I ...” Harry paused and looked at Draco, “WE love our life now, you are welcome to find your place in it too, but you don’t get to come in here passing judgement.”

Remus looked quite stunned by Harry’s rant and nodded dumbly; though he could definitely see the similarity between this blonde girl and the Malfoy boy now that she was smirking smugly.

“Kreacher.” Harry called softly, and the elf appeared.

Initially they had had a lot of trouble with the house elf but he seemed to have taken a liking to Draco and they could only assume it was to do with his Black family ancestry and knowledge of how to talk to the elf in a way that Kreacher respected.

“You will find a comfortable clean room and make up it up with fresh linens for Mr Lupin,” Draco commanded.

“As Mrs Potter wishes,” he said with a low bow and popping out of the room again.

“I would wait around until he was done with that but we really need to get some sleep, Orion will be awake for another feed in a few hours,” Harry told him, leaning down to give Draco a quick kiss, “go on, I will be up in a minute.”

“Night,” Draco said, with a nod at Remus before she headed out of the room and they could hear as she went up stairs and shut the door to their room.

“Look... I really am not mad at you for not being here and I _AM_ glad you’re back,” Harry told him.

“I know, and I am sure I will understand when you have had a chance to explain everything; I am just a bit baffled and overwhelmed right now.”

“I don’t want you to be ashamed of me; nor Draco, nor Orion,” Harry said sadly, “but I won’t give them up for anything... or anyone,” he added.

“Oh, Harry; I’m not ashamed of you!” Remus promised, getting up from his seat, “If I had come back and you told me you had some child out there somewhere that you had abandoned, then maybe, but I trust you are doing everything you can for your young family.”

“Of course I am,” Harry said in a tone that made it clear that he could never have done anything else.

Remus smiled at that; “and that is exactly my point,” he told him, “now come, don’t let me keep you; like you said that beautiful little boy of yours will be waking you up again in no time and you should at least get some sleep before then.”

Harry smiled and there was a slightly awkward moment where they didn’t know whether to hug or not before Harry gave a small wave instead.

“Night,” he said as he left the room.

“Good night, Harry.” Remus said softly, sitting back down on the chair to wait for the elf to be done with his room.

Now that his focus wasn’t on Harry, and the unexpected addition, he was able to take his time to look around the room. It was clear that there was a baby in the house from the box of toys that was tucked away in a corner, the changing table and supplies, and the large picture on the wall of Harry and Draco smiling and holding Orion between them, Sirius behind them laughing, his arms slung over their shoulders; they actually looked like a family.

Would they let him be a part of that family; was there space for him there? He really hoped so; the next day was going to be interesting and he was definitely curious to hear what they had to tell him. There were so many questions: what had happened to Draco, how did their relationship with each other change so completely, what excuses did they have for being careless enough to end up pregnant and how had they convinced the ministry to let them keep the child despite their age?

Remus rubbed his eyes wearily; he wasn’t sure whether he was regretting coming back at all or not having come back sooner. Either way tomorrow he would do what he had to, to help them let him into their lives.

Kreacher appeared back about ten minutes later and let him to a room on the third floor, but he was too tired and caught up in his thoughts to pay much attention; and it was not long after that he drifted off to sleep hoping he would be able to find the strength not to blame Sirius’ poor parenting for Harry’s situation.

-#-

“Morning...” Sirius said through a yawn as he came into the kitchen.

Draco was already there, feeding Orion, and looked up at Sirius’s sleepy greeting. “Morning,” she replied, summoning him a cup of tea she had kept under a stasis charm and handing it over.

“Thanks,” he mumbled as he took a large gulp of it, despite its high temperature. “I still miss coffee, and you know you aren’t really supposed to be doing magic while you are under age,” he scolded half heartedly.

“Yes, yes,” she said dismissively; it was not the first time they had had this discussion and as long as they were living in a wizarding home there was no way for the trace to incriminating them, as it would be assumed it was Sirius who was casting spells. “As for the coffee, you know Harry promised me that we wouldn’t have any around while I couldn’t drink it and since I am still breast feeding...”

Sirius grumbled under his breath and Draco couldn’t hear the words; it hardly mattered though she knew what was bothering him, he hadn’t really forgiven Harry for banning coffee from their home, which he had done when Draco had said that the smell made her want to drink it.

“We had a late night visitor last night,” she told him once he had gotten himself some toast and joined her at the table, where she was now burping Orion.

“Really? Who?” He asked around half a mouth full of toast.

Draco scowled.

Sirius swallowed his food, “Sorry,” he apologised, he should have known better that to show such a lack of manners in front of her, “so who was it?” he asked again.

“Lupin,” she said casually, “believe he is a friend of yours?”

“Remus was here?” he asked in surprise; it had been more than seven months since he had the letter back from Remus saying that he wouldn’t be home for Christmas and would be out of contact for some time. He had known that whatever his friend had been looking for was important to the werewolf but he could help the worry he felt sometimes or the annoyance that once again Remus Lupin had made excuses and then run off to hide, leaving them all behind with far too much ease.

“He’s still here,” Draco corrected, pointing towards the ceiling, “Harry told him to stay and Kreacher found him a bed; I imagine he is still asleep,” she added quickly when it looked as though Sirius was about to run up the stairs to go find him.

“Humph,” was more or less the noise that Sirius made as he settled down to finish off his lightly buttered toast; there really were moments when Sirius was more the child than the parent but they were used to that by now; it was part of his charm... apparently.

“Morning,” Harry said happily, as he came in, leaning in to kiss Draco on the lips; at that moment Orion managed an impressive burp which made them laugh. “Good job, kiddo,” Harry said, taking his son from Draco’s shoulder. “No Lupin yet then?” he asked.

“Still can’t believe that Moony is really back,” Sirius said happily.

“I am surprised you aren’t more worried about how much he is going to blame your parenting skills for Orion’s existence,” Harry grumbled, still feeling pretty bitter about the attitude his ex-Professor had shown in the early hours of the morning.

Sirius did look slightly concerned at that, “So he knows about Orion then?”

Harry nodded, “I was downstairs rocking him back to sleep when I spotted Remus outside the house,” he explained, “So of course he had a few questions when he saw that I was holding a baby.”

“I would imagine so,” Sirius said distractedly.

“We promised that we would explain everything properly today,” Draco added as she fetched Harry some tea and handed it over.

“So he met you too then?” he asked.

“I heard raised voices,” she told him, “I am surprised they didn’t wake Orion again to be honest... or you,” she added.

“Didn’t hear a thing.” He assured them, “Raised voices though? I take it this means he wasn’t totally supportive of you being parents at sixteen then.”

“You could say that,” Harry said with a chuckle, “I did make it very clear his judgements weren’t welcome here though, so hopefully that sunk in and he can accept the way things are.”

“Hopefully,” Sirius said under his breath, now feeling sure that Harry was right; his remaining best friend was bound to question his ability to parent Harry, let alone Draco or Orion as well.

-#-

It was nearly lunch time when a sleep Remus Lupin appeared downstairs; Harry was pacing around the living room with a crying Orion.

“I see he inherited your lungs,” Remus said as he poked his head round the door, “is everything okay?”

“Oh, morning,” Harry greeted, keeping up his constant movement to try and calm Orion, “Everything’s fine, he is just tired but doesn’t want to sleep,” he explained.

“I remember you crying just like that and your dad pacing trying to get you to sleep,” Remus told him fondly.

“Yeah, Sirius is always saying he sounds like me already,” Harry told him bluntly.

“Where is my old friend, anyway?” Remus asked, having to speak up slightly to be heard over the persistent cries.

“Garden,” Harry said; he still was feeling less than warm towards the older man, and so was not sorry when he turned and headed off to find the others, leaving him to rock the infant in his arms into slumber.

-#-

“Trying for a tan, old friend?” Remus teased from the back door of the house.

“Moony!” Sirius cried out with a wide grin, getting up from his seat to pull the werewolf into a bone-crushing hug, “It is so good to see you.”

“You too,” Remus agreed, as Sirius released him and held him by the shoulders at arm’s length.

“You actually look well, my friend,” Sirius said, with obvious surprise and though Remus half thought he should take offence to that, he found he could not.

The transformations took their toll and had aged Remus beyond his years; the unemployment that had plagued his life had left him unable to afford clothes of any quality, or to replace them regularly; at times even finding food had proved to be a challenge. At least with the help of the clan he had been staying with his health was improving and he had at least eaten well for the last year; though his clothes were still as scruffy and over worn as ever.

“I _AM_ well,” he assured him happily, “I am better than I have been in more years than I can count.”

“Then your absence was worth it,” Sirius said, with a heavy hand pat to Remus’ shoulder, “I can only assume you gained much from your travels.”

“I did, but at a cost it would seem,” Remus told him, looking over Sirius’ shoulder at where Draco was watching their cautiously, “I am sorry I missed so much here,” he said quietly.

“As am I,” Sirius admitted, “but what’s done is done, and you are here now. There is so much we have to tell you, and I am sure you have a tale or two yourself; I want to hear all about your adventures,” he added with a bark like laugh. “Come, you should eat,” he insisted, practically dragging Remus into the house, “we can get Kreacher to make us all some lunch... well, breakfast for you I suppose.”

Remus smiled warmly at Sirius; it was a great feeling to be welcome back so warmly and it was nice to see that his old friend was so obviously happy. He glanced over his shoulder and caught the curious expression on Draco’s face. She clearly wasn’t quite sure what to make of him and Remus just hoped she would give him a chance to earn his place in their family; for Harry and Sirius’ sake at least.

“Moony!” Sirius called from in the house, turning Remus’ attention back to him, “What do you want to eat?”

Remus smiled; Sirius might be a parental figure to Harry and Draco, and apparently a honorary Grandparent to Orion, but he was still as much of a child as ever.

“Will we ever manage to teach him manners?” Draco muttered to herself under her breath, “I will never forgive him if he teaches my son to be such a lout.”

The werewolf’s keen senses had no trouble hearing it, and he turned back to the girl with an amused smile; perhaps Draco wasn’t going to be as bad as he had been dreading since the moment he found out who she really was.

“We’ve all tried, but you’re welcome to have a go,” he told her. “Now, please excuse me, but I am feeling rather hungry and Sirius isn’t known for his patience.”

“I had noticed,” Draco said quietly.

She stared after her former professor in surprise as he headed back into the house after his friend. Draco wasn’t sure that she could find a way to be okay with the werewolf being around her son, at least not yet; but if Lupin was going to make an effort then perhaps she could too.

 


	28. Everything Has Changed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 28. This was a bad week for writing sadly, I have barely done anything; between the hot weather and my main computer dying, I just have felt uninspired, drained and depressed. That is also why this chapter was delayed; I almost didn’t manage to find the energy to do so at all. 
> 
> On a happier note; please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, this is the link to my Profile: 
> 
> http://www.facebook.com/pipa.bickymonster
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their greatly appreciated help with this chapter.

_ Previously: _

_“Will we ever manage to teach him manners?” Draco muttered to herself under her breath, “I will never forgive him if he teaches my son to be such a lout.”_

_The werewolf’s keen senses had no trouble hearing it, and he turned back to the girl with an amused smile; perhaps Draco wasn’t going to be as bad as he had been dreading since the moment he found out who she really was._

_“We’ve all tried, but you’re welcome to have a go,” he told her. “Now, please excuse me, but I am feeling rather hungry and Sirius isn’t known for his patience.”_

_“I had noticed,” Draco said quietly._

_She stared after her former professor in surprise as he headed back into the house after his friend. Draco wasn’t sure that she could find a way to be okay with the werewolf being around her son, at least not yet; but if Lupin was going to make an effort then perhaps she could too._

_-#-_

They all sit down to lunch together once Sirius had gotten Kreacher to listen to what he wanted. The meal was rather awkward; though Sirius chatted away happily, seemingly oblivious to the tension. The Potters ate in silence; Harry tending Orion sleeping in the crook of his arm, while Draco spent the meal throwing suspicious looks at Remus.  Sirius, by contrast, was talkative, asking question after question about the werewolf clan.

“And this meditation or whatever helps you with the transformations?” Sirius asked curiously, leaning his elbows on the table and taking a huge bite from his sandwich.

“It helps me keep my mind during them,” Remus clarified.

Sirius nodded in understanding, “So you’ll be safe to be around during the full moon?” he asked hopefully; thinking back to the fun times they had had running together on those nights while they had been students at Hogwarts.

“Saf ** _er_** ”, Remus stressed. “More so than before;  though I’m perhaps not quite as completely lucid as when taking the Wolfsbane potion,”.

“You are NOT staying here during the full moon,” Draco snapped suddenly; as she realised what Sirius was thinking.

“Well...” Sirius started.

“No, Draco is right,” Harry interrupted, “I’m sorry, Lupin, but there is no way I am having you anywhere near my wife or son when you’re transformed.”

“You don’t have to apologise, Harry,” Remus told him, holding up a hand to silence Sirius when he looked like he was about to speak, “What the clan has taught me has helped but I would never want to put any of you at risk,” he assured Harry solemnly.

“But I was always able to keep you in check as Padfoot before...” Sirius objected.

“You had Prongs as well...” Remus argued.

“This is my house...” Sirius insisted petulantly.

“We all know that, Sirius...” Remus said, sounding exasperated.

“But I want...”

“No, Sirius, do you really think that what you want is what matters here?” Remus asked sternly, taking a firm grip on Sirius’ arm to make sure he had his old friend’s attention, “I KNOW you are glad to have me back and I would LOVE for you to be with me at the full moon; but are you really going to have Harry and his family in the same house as a transformed werewolf?”

Sirius sighed, knowing that Remus was right; he looked at the worried and somewhat annoyed faces of Harry and Draco, and then at the tiny form of Orion. He felt slightly sick that he had even considered letting a transformed Moony anywhere near them. He could never put them in danger; no matter how much control he believed the werewolf had, it would never be worth the risk.

“Either he leaves or we do,” Draco declared angrily.

“No... No... I understand, you don’t have to leave,” Sirius said quickly and the Potters were rather flattered that their father figure was so obviously distressed of the idea of losing the family he had become part of. “We will find somewhere else for Remus to go safely; I can always go with him.”

“Thank you, Sirius,” Harry said, cradling Orion against his chest.

“No, you guys are right,” his godfather agreed, though he did still sound a little bit morose about it, “I just never thought I would have to ask one of my best friends to leave home once a month.”

“He will have Grimmauld Place to himself during term time anyway,” Draco pointed out.

“Well Sirius will be here...” Remus started but stopped at the unhappy expression on his friend’s face.

“I am sorry, Moony, but I will be at Hogwarts. I am taking over Defence classes and will be helping take care of Orion; it is part of what was agreed with the Ministry. Molly and I are additional guardians, so one of us needs to be around,” Sirius tried to explain.

“Okay. Additional guardians? Agreed with the Ministry? You guys are going to have to go back and explain; I am fairly sure I am missing several key pieces of information,” Remus told him.

“I guess we start at the beginning,” Harry suggested with a nervous smile at Draco; that part was, of course, her story to tell.

Draco bit her lip and stared at the now empty plate in front of her; this was a big ask. She had promised herself that she was going to try and give the man a chance, but he was still more or less a stranger to her and they were asking her to relive some of the most personal moments of her life.

“There was an accident,” she said quietly, still not looking up, a few minutes later.

“Okay...” Remus said, looking around at the other two for more details; but, realising they weren’t about to tell him anything, and that he was going to have to wait for Draco to explain, he turned back to her.

“I was in detention in the Potions lab and I slipped,” she said.

“Snape’s lab?” Remus asked with narrowed eyes.

“Yes, but this was not in any way his fault and he tried for ages to figure out how to turn Draco back,” Harry explained quickly.

“Harry’s right, I bet you he is still trying to work out a solution, even though I told him not to bother anymore,” Draco said emphatically before going back to looking back at her place to find the courage to keep going.

“Okay, right; you slipped, do go on,” Remus encouraged.

She took a deep breath and braved looking up to meet Harry’s proud eyes; she had been planning to look up and meet Lupin’s eyes but just wasn’t feeling quite that courageous yet.

“A lot of potions fell on me and, to be honest, I was lucky not to have been killed or seriously harmed; the result, however...” Draco waved a hand up and down at her own body, managing to meet Lupin’s eye but only by forcing her Malfoy mask into place.

“The potions turned you into a girl?” Remus asked, his voice taking on a slightly breathless quality in his surprise.

Draco nodded stiffly, “Shrunk me and made me extremely fertile too,” she added. She was able to be more rational about it now that she wasn’t pregnant and her hormones were somewhat more settled, but it still made her feel a tad overwhelmed.

“I am starting to get the picture, but I still don’t see how you two ended up together,” Remus said with a frown.

“I am sure you won’t be surprised when I tell you that Lucius Malfoy was a complete...” Sirius paused when Draco glared at him, and his mind searched to find a word that she wouldn’t castrate him for using in Orion’s presence, “err... completely horrible man...” he said rather lamely making Harry snort his amusement and Draco nod approvingly.

Remus watched the interaction a little bit wide-eyed, “like you said, that doesn’t surprise me.”

“Indeed, well, apparently the idea of his precious son and heir becoming a girl was more than he or his sense of family honour could handle,” Draco said bitterly.

“He disowned you?” Remus asked in horror, “But wouldn’t that leave him without an heir?”

Harry nodded, “he was apparently too angry to really consider that... at least to start with,” he added and Remus thought he saw Harry’s grip on Orion tighten slightly.

“He tried to take Orion,” Remus said quietly as realisation hit him like a ton of bricks dropping in his stomach and he honestly felt quite nauseous at that idea of that monster getting his hands on Harry’s baby boy.

“He is still trying... kind of,” Sirius admitted through gritted teeth.

“I think we are getting ahead of ourselves again,” Remus pointed out, “what happened when Lucius disowned Draco? How did that lead to you two getting together?”

“Well once my delightful housemates realised I was not only without a name, but without any inheritance, without a home or status,” Draco said sadly, hurt flitting across her eyes before she pulled her face blank once more, “I was worth nothing and they no longer wanted anything to do with me.”

“I’m sorry...” Remus told her, reaching across the table in an attempt to touch one of her hands in comfort.

“Don’t be,” she replied snappishly; she really wouldn’t be able to hold it together if he started pitying her. “And I am not really sure exactly how it happened, but I guess Harry was... nice,” Draco explained, making Harry grin.

“We just kept seem to keep bumping into each other and Draco couldn’t eat with the Slytherins so she ate with us instead; I guess she was at least safe with us,” Harry told him, with a questioning look at Draco. They had never really talked about those early days; it didn’t really seem to matter all that much how it happened, just that it had.

Draco gave Harry a smile; a genuine one, which broke through her facade. “I guess I started to realise that I didn’t have any obligations to anyone anymore...”

Remus smiled as he watched the way she was looking at Harry, and the way Harry was looking back.

“And then we both stayed at Hogwarts that summer and one thing led to another...” Harry told him with a shrug.

“I see...” Remus said thoughtfully. “And you didn’t think to suggest precautions?” he asked, turning on Sirius.

“Hey! They were already together by the time I was cleared and they moved in with me,” he pointed out. “And I did my best to keep them apart but...”

“You did keep us apart while we were living here!” Harry defended. “It was just that once we got back to Hogwarts Draco had her own room and we had missed being alone together and... well...” Harry trailed off, a blush colouring his cheeks.

“I think I get the picture,” Remus said with a sigh, rubbing his temples. “And I am guessing with the fertility thing you mentioned before it didn’t take long before Orion was conceived.”

Harry and Draco both laughed at that. “Not long at all,” Harry said with a smirk in Draco’s direction.

“I still don’t understand how you managed to keep him; I was under the impression that the ministry reassigns guardianships of babies born to parents under seventeen years of age.”

“That is the general rule, yes,” Draco confirmed, “but Hermione found a loophole.”

“Of course she did,” Remus said with obvious amusement.

“Well for once I was very glad for her know-it-all nature,” Draco admitted under his breath.

“The basic idea was that they wouldn’t take a legitimate heir from a family, so we got married; officially we were married when he was conceived,” Harry added quickly, “It is actually our one year anniversary in a couple of weeks.”

“Err... congratulations?” Remus said hesitantly.

“Thanks,” Harry said with a grin, “So yeah, that made Draco a Potter and Orion the Potter heir.”

Remus looked sceptical, “And then they just let you keep him?”

“I wouldn’t say ‘just’,” Sirius said. “There was a committee meeting to make sure that Harry and Draco had a plan in place to maintain their education at the same time as providing suitable care for their son. They also had to agree to have me and Molly as additional guardians until they turn seventeen and have quarterly inspections by the ministry on how they are coping.”

“I see...” Remus said, “and you said that Lucius was trying to take Orion?”

“He tried to suggest to the committee that he and Narcissa would be more suitable parents for our son,” Draco growled.

“And when the committee didn’t side with him, he apparently bribed the ministry inspectors,” Harry continued.

“Wow...” Remus said; _they really fought hard for this then_ , he thought to himself.

“I know you think I have probably failed them,” Sirius said.

“And that we have been irresponsible,” Harry added.

“While I don’t exactly approve of you becoming parents so young, I am actually kind of impressed; and feeling guilty for not being here to help you all through this,” Remus admitted.

“Well, you’re here now, Moony,” Sirius said happily.

“Look, Draco; I know it probably isn’t easy for you to trust me, but you should know that I always considered Sirius and James as part of my family, which makes Harry, and hence you and Orion, family too.”

Draco frowned but nodded, “I have no problem with you being here but you do one thing that could possibly hurt Harry or my son...”

Remus held his hands up in surrender, “I’ll be good,” he promised in a half teasing voice, that made Sirius chuckle.

“Like you know how,” Sirius joked with a wink.

“Padfoot, my old friend, I think you are getting me confused with yourself,” Remus bit back with a smile.

“Oh right, yeah, forgot we had Mr Prefect over here,” Sirius said with a thumb directed at Remus.

Harry laughed a little and Draco even managed to crack a smile.

-#-

It wasn’t easy suddenly having another person in their home. Remus quickly realised just how little he knew the Potters: Harry was a lot older and more his own man than he had been during the short time they had spent together during his third year at Hogwarts and in truth he was even less like James than he had remembered; Draco was barely more than a stranger but she was clearly smart and witty and Remus suspected once she began to trust him, and let him past the defences she was putting up, they would get along well.

Harry and Remus both made a great effort to talk frequently. As he got to know Remus, it occurred to Harry how little time he had had to get to know Sirius before he had moved into the house with him; which did make him wonder if he was just a bit too trusting at times , as Draco had implied. But then, he supposed, Draco had known Sirius even less at the time and had trusted Harry completely to keep her safe. The thought warmed his heart.

All in all it was just going to take some time before they were truly comfortable around each other. It was therefore kind of a mixed blessing that there was a full moon just a few days after Remus moved into Grimmauld Place.

They had had long discussions about exactly where Remus might go during his transformations; Sirius had the bright idea of using the Shrieking Shack, as Remus had done many years before. They had gone to Professor Dumbledore, to see if he had any alternative suggestions but it seemed he had none, and though he expressed no objections to the use of the shack.

The day before the full moon was so tense that Remus left to go to Hogwarts soon after lunch, saying he wanted a chance to catch up with the teachers. Sirius went with him to help him make the place a little more habitable and renew the wards; though they made sure to keep it looking as run down as ever from the outside.

Sirius had suggested that they could create a secure room at Grimmauld Place that Remus could use during term time but the werewolf had seemed reluctant and said that he would prefer to be close to the school’s medical services, as Madam Pomfrey was used to caring for him and, even with the improved treatments the clan had taught him, the day after the full moon was still difficult.

Despite the tension in the house Remus and Sirius’ absence did, at least, prove to Draco, who had still been anxious, that the werewolf had been genuine in his promises to leave during the full moon and to never put any of them in danger. It also meant that Molly had taken over as the additional guardian in residence and they all agreed that she really did need more time with Orion.

“Sometimes I think you were put on this earth to be a grandmother,” Harry told her as she rocked Orion to sleep.

Molly looked up and smiled at him fondly, “I do always feel happiest with a little baby to cuddle and take care of; they are just so innocent and dependent on you for everything.”

“I know what you mean; everything somehow just feels simpler when I am focused on him,” Harry agreed, “though when he wakes me up at three in the morning...”

Molly laughed, “Ah the joys of parenthood, this is why being a grandmother is so brilliant, I get to give him back to you and leave the disturbed sleep to you and Draco.”

“Funnily enough, Sirius said the same thing,” Harry told her with a grin.

Molly stayed with them until Sirius and Remus returned in the evening of the day after the full moon; the transformation had gone well and with no trouble and Sirius had been delighted at how well-behaved Remus had been in wolf form despite not having taken the Wolfsbane potion.

Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore had tried to encourage him to take it anyway but Remus had declined with polite thanks, explaining that it left him feeling weary and made the recovery period longer.

All in all the residents of number 12 Gimmauld Place were in a good mood and felt there was hope for them as a family yet.

-#-

Harry’s birthday celebration was, by his request, a quiet event. They had a picnic lunch in the garden as the sky was bright and clear for the first time in weeks. They sat on a huge blanket which Kreacher seemed to have summoned from nowhere on Draco’s request, lay Orion down under the shade of a small parasol and watched Harry open his presents.

Harry knew he was difficult to buy for because truthfully there were rarely things he wanted. Ron and Hermione had apparently combined their forces and had gotten him a very interesting book on the history of Quidditch; the Weasley twins had sent a box of their ‘greatest creations’ that Harry put carefully as far away from Orion as possible with the intention of investigating later; and the wand holster to go on his arm that Blaise had gotten him was bound to be useful, as was the beautiful dragon hide covered journal from Remus.

He had felt slightly guilty when had given Hagrid’s present of homemade cookies to Kreacher to either eat or dispose of, but they already had an enormous cake that Molly had made that was going to take them at least a week or so to eat.

Draco looked nervous when she pulled out another present from behind her, “It’s from both me and Sirius and it’s not much but...” Draco bit her lip, “I didn’t know if I should be buying things given it’s your money and...”

Harry looked horrified, “No, Draco, no, it is OUR money. Let me make that very clear right now, as long as you don’t have plans to go crazy and spend all our money you can buy what you like,” he insisted it and as though to make his point he sealed it with a kiss. “That said, you don’t have to go spending money on presents for me,” he added as he unwrapped the gift.

It took him a moment to realise what he was holding: two small moulds clearly taken of pairs of baby feet. He figured one was Orion’s, which he confirmed when he turned it over and read the engraving on the bottom; it was the writing on the bottom of the second mould however, that had him nearly in tears.

“These were my feet?” he asked, running his fingers over the indented shape; it was so detailed you could see where the wrinkles in the skin had been.

“Yep, though I had forgotten I had it to be honest, but your Mum made one and I thought it was so cute I asked her to make a second one for me to keep,” Sirius explained.

“Lily did think it was a very strange request at the time, but I am glad she had come to terms with your madness by then and agreed,” Remus told him.

“Thank you,” Harry said earnestly, hugging Sirius tightly before releasing him and turning to kiss Draco. “Thank you, these are perfect.” He thought for a moment before he very quietly said, “I wish we had yours as well, Draco.”

“Me too,” she admitted, wiping away a stray tear that had managed to escape her husband’s eye.

“We will just have to make ones of your tiny feet now then,” Remus suggested.

Draco looked somewhat incredulous but Harry was grinning, and so she agreed; and by that evening the shelf in the library that they had had Kreacher put up specially housed five moulds of feet... Apparently it had been too much fun for Sirius or Remus to be left out of and the shapes of their large feet looked even bigger next to two baby pairs and Draco’s dainty ones.

-#-

“Professor Lupin.” Hermione greeted warmly as she stepped out of the fireplace into the living room of Grimmauld Place.

“Ah, Miss Granger, good to see you again,” Remus said closing the book he was reading and placing it on a nearby table as he got to his feet to shake her hand. “It was mentioned you might come by,” he told her, “And Mr Weasley,” he greeted as Ron followed through the floo just a few seconds later.

“Professor.” Ron said.

“I really do wish that everyone would remember that I am not actually a professor anymore,” he said, though he was smiling as he spoke, “just ‘Lupin’ will do; or ‘Remus’ even.”

“Yes, sir,” Hermione told him.

“Thought I heard the floo,” Harry said, grinning at his friends as he appeared in the doorway, “we’re in the library.”

Hermione and Ron followed Harry as he led them through the house and through a heavy door; Hermione wasn’t sure what she had expected but it was a lot cleaner and brighter than she had envisioned. In truth it was thanks to Draco that Kreacher had been talked into removing the heavy blood red curtains and doing some intense cleaning of the space.

“Does the light not damage the books?” Hermione asked with obvious concern as she looked between the enormous windows and the obviously ancient texts that lined the shelves.

“Preservation charms,” Draco said casually.

She was sitting on one of the three deep red coloured velvet sofas that were in the reading area and she didn’t look up from the book she had open, in one hand, as she spoke. Her other arm was supporting Orion as he fed greedily from her breast, her modesty barely covered by a muslin cloth over her shoulder.

Ron was quite flustered by the sight and hurriedly looked away, much to Hermione and Harry’s amusement; it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her feeding Orion before, but he was never particularly comfortable with it and it had been several weeks since they had seen each other last.

“Ouch!” Draco exclaimed as Orion tried to look towards his father and their guests without releasing his grip on his mother’s beast; though the small boy released the nipple from his mouth to grizzle when he ended up with his face in the muslin.

Draco closed the book and dropped it over the arm of the chair; Kreacher, who seemed to be completely in sync with Draco now, appeared in time to catch the book and disappeared again, presumably to place it back on a shelf.

“You can either look for Daddy, Auntie Hermione and Uncle Ron, OR you can feed, Orion; you can’t do both.” Draco told her son firmly; she shifted him in her arms and apparently he chose food.

“Happy anniversary,” Hermione said as she sat one of the other sofas; pointedly ignoring Draco’s casual use of the house elf.

“Thanks,” Draco said, looking up and smiling at the other girl. “It’s so strange to think that, while technically it wasn’t a year ago we got married, but still, legally I have been a Potter for a whole year as of today.”

“It has been quite a year,” Ron declared as he dropped himself lazily on the other end of the sofa Hermione was using; Harry taking a seat next to Draco.

“That it has,” Harry said, looking adoringly at his wife and son.

“That’s why we are celebrating,” Ron told them with a devious smirk that probably would have looked much more at home on Draco’s face.

“Celebrating?” Harry asked worriedly, “Ron... what did you do?”

“Hey! I didn’t _DO_ anything,” he defended, “Mum is making a big family dinner.”

Draco rolled her eyes as she started trying to burp Orion, “That was the ‘errand’ that Sirius was running today, wasn’t it?”

“Yep,” Ron told her happily, looking mightily pleased with himself.

“Well, it has been a while since Molly has seen Orion,” Harry said slowly.

“Arthur, Bill, Charlie and Percy have never even met him,” Hermione added.

“Bill might even be bringing Fleur,” Ron added wistfully, earning himself a backhand to the shoulder from Hermione.

“Fleur?” Harry asked with confusion, “As in Delacour; the part veela who competed in the Triwizard Tournament?”

“The very same,” Ron told him happily.

“She and Bill have been dating a little while; she is working with him at Gringotts.” Hermione explained.

“Mum doesn’t seem to like her much, nor does Ginny actually, but Bill is pretty keen,” Ron said with a wink that made Harry laugh and Hermione frown.

“So have you been staying with the Weasley’s, Hermione?” Draco asked, rocking a now almost asleep Orion in her arms.

“Oh, no; I have been staying at home, but I was invited for this dinner and thought I would join Ron in coming to get you guys today,” she explained, “I will be going back home tomorrow; might spend the last week of the holidays at the Burrow though.”

“Or maybe me and Hermione could come and stay here with you guys?” Ron asked hopefully.

Harry chuckled, “I’ll ask Sirius, no promises though.”

“Can I get cuddles now?” Hermione asked, holding out her arms to take Orion; Draco rolled her eyes and nodded.

Hermione practically jumped out of her seat and carefully took the two month old baby boy into her arms. “His hair is definitely going brown,” she said as she returned to the other sofa with him.

“Draco thinks he is getting my hair but his eyes are getting paler; pretty sure they will be grey like Draco’s in a few weeks,” Harry said proudly.

“Looking more and more like Draco though, don’t you think,” Ron commented as he leaned over to look at the sleeping baby.

“Yeah, I agree,” Hermione said, brushing her hand over the soft hair on Orion’s head.

“He is going to be very handsome,” Draco said smugly.

“Yes he is,” Harry agreed, with a roll of his eyes, “but it isn’t like your ego needs inflating anymore,” he teased.

Draco did her very best to look offended and Ron laughed as Harry was given a playful shove by his wife.

 _I never would have believed this possible_ , Harry thought to himself as he looked around at his family and friends; _that Draco could fit in here so easily_. It felt strangely obvious that Blaise was missing though and for the first time Harry really was aware just how very much ‘one of them’ the other Slytherin had become.

“We should invite Blaise over,” he said suddenly.

Draco grinned at him, “Yes, we should; do you think Molly would mind if he came to dinner later?” she asked Ron.

Ron shrugged, “I don’t see why she would; it is your anniversary celebration.”

“Great,” she said as she rushed out of the room to go floo her friend.

“That was good thinking, Harry,” Hermione praised.

“Just realised that our group feels incomplete without him now, don’t you think?” He asked his two best friends.

Ron gave a mock shudder, “who would have thought we would get used to having not one, but two Slytherins around.”

Harry laughed, “I would never have guessed it, that’s for sure,” he admitted.


	29. Paper Anniversary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 29. Another difficult week for writing, though chapter 30 is slowly starting to take shape, and I have faith that I will have it ready for next week, but this hot weather is making being creative difficult. Worse case, if there isn't an update next week, there will definitely be one the week after.
> 
> On a happier note; please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, this is the link to my Profile: http://www.facebook.com/pipa.bickymonster
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their greatly appreciated help with this chapter.

_ Previously: _

_Draco grinned at him, “Yes, we should; do you think Molly would mind if he came to dinner later?” she asked Ron._

_Ron shrugged, “I don’t see why she would; it is your anniversary celebration.”_

_“Great,” she said as she rushed out of the room to go floo her friend._

_“That was good thinking, Harry,” Hermione praised._

_“Just realised that our group feels incomplete without him now, don’t you think?” He asked his two best friends._

_Ron gave a mock shudder, “who would have thought we would get used to having not one, but two Slytherins around.”_

_Harry laughed, “I would never have guessed it, that’s for sure,” he admitted._

-#-

Harry had Orion curled up against his chest, under a small blanket to keep the soot from his tiny lungs, as the Potter family prepared to go through the floo to The Burrow. Hermione and Ron had practically dragged Blaise through with them, half an hour before, to give Harry and Draco a chance to get themselves and Orion ready without them being under foot. The Potters could only assume Remus had left even earlier because there was no sign of him at Grimmauld place when they went to leave.

They had barely had a chance to get their bearings in the room full of people when a loud, joyful, and slightly alarming call of “HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!” filled the room.

The sudden noise surprised Orion and when Draco removed the blanket they could see tears filling his pale blue eyes as he began to cry; his little fists bunched up tightly.

“Oh, poor dear,” Molly said fussily, leaning over to wipe away his tears, “guess we alarmed him. Oh I have to take something out the oven,” Molly told them; placing a kiss on Orion’s head, “I am so glad to have you all here,” she said happily as she hurried off.

“We did not mean to make ‘im cry,” Fleur said worriedly, having hurried over to where Harry was gently rocking Orion back and forward.

“Well you did anyway,” Draco said snappishly as she carefully dusted off and folded the slightly ash covered blanket that she had removed from her son.

“It’s fine,” Harry assured Fleur, “he was already slightly grizzly from travelling through the floo and I am pretty sure he is tired.”

“’e is most ‘andsome,” the part veela said, peering down at Orion.

“Err... thanks,” Harry said slightly awkwardly, not really sure how to react to the forwardness of this girl he really didn’t know at all.

“Now, Fleur, come on, I promise you can fuss over the baby later,” a tall red-head, who had to be Bill, told her, dragging her away with a wink in Harry’s direction.

Harry stared after them in bemusement until Draco coughed loudly and deliberately at his side. He caught sight of the sympathetic look Ron was giving him as he turned to face his wife, who was raising a single eyebrow elegantly in question. It honestly took him a few moments to work out that his wife might suspect that Fleur’s undeniable beauty had been the reason for his lingering gaze.

“Have to admire Bill’s taste in women, right?” Ron muttered under his breath in the hope that only Harry would hear.

He apparently had failed to be quite quiet enough though because Hermione was frowning in disapproval, and Harry thought she might be biting her tongue to hold back several things she wanted to say.

“Yeah, I guess; I don’t really know her,” Harry said with a shrug. “Besides, I am happily spoken for, you know, by the mother of my son,” he added glancing down at a nearly asleep Orion, “and have no interest in eyeing up anyone else.” He flashed Draco an overly wide smile.

“Nice save,” Fred and George said in sync and Draco rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement.

“I was more watching Bill anyway, I assume that was Bill,” Harry added.

Draco’s eyebrows went impossibly higher at that, Blaise chuckled, Hermione bit her lip to keep from laughing, Ron looked slightly concerned and the twins shared an amused look with each other.

“Oh, not like _THAT_! You perverts,” Harry chastised and Draco gave him an amused smile that made it clear that he thought his wife was having far too much fun. “Not only did I just say I was not interested in anyone but Draco, but I am also not gay,” he pointed out with a laugh, “was that a fang in his ear?”

“Yeah, it is,” Ron said; the reverence he had for his eldest brother obvious in his voice.

“Come on; let’s go outside, you will want to see what Dad, Sirius and Charlie have done,” Fred told them.

“Will we really?” Draco asked sceptically.

“Oh, you will,” Blaise assured them happily.

“Very well, lead the way,” Harry said with a grin.

His eyes swept over towards the back door and he was slightly startled he spotted Ginny, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs watching them with narrowed eyes; when she realised she had been seen her eyes flickered over Orion and then to Draco, before she turned and hurried up the stairs.

“She has been in a foul mood all summer,” Ron told him.

Harry frowned, but followed his friends and wife out into the garden of The Burrow; and if ever there was a sight that was going to lighten his heart, it was going to be the one that met him.

A Weasley, Harry could only assume was Charlie, was up high in the air on a broomstick trying to get a Quaffle passed Sirius who was guarding one of the two sets of goal rings that had been set up.

“Quidditch...” Draco said in barely more than a whisper.

“Yep,” George said proudly.

“Harry, Draco,” Percy greeted pompously as he came over to them, “and this must be Orion.”

“It is,” Harry told him, his eyes still fixed longingly on the makeshift Quidditch pitch.

“We brought your brooms over,” Hermione told Harry and Draco, pointing out where they were leaning against the side of the shed where the Weasleys’ brooms were housed.

“When did you manage that?” Harry asked with surprise.

“We might have had some assistance from Sirius,” Ron admitted.

“What do you think?” Arthur asked, as he came over to the group.

“It’s amazing, Mr Weasley,” Harry said enthusiastically.

“Excellent; now give me Orion, so I can have cuddles with my grandson, and go have a quick game before Molly calls us all in for dinner.”

Harry laughed but obediently shifted his son into Arthur’s well-practised hold; he had raised seven children after all, so they felt completely happy leaving their precious little boy in his care. Hermione and Arthur went and made themselves comfortable, next to Remus, on a nearby picnic bench to watch the others play. Remus looked a little uncomfortable; he still wasn’t sure about being this close to Orion, Draco really had him whipped. Arthur, sensing his discomfort, and guessing the reason, gave him the baby.

“What if she sees?” Remus asked, nervously.

“Then she will see you taking great care with her son,” Arthur assured him.

“Mr Weasley’s right,” Hermione insisted, “he is quite happy with you.”

They both knew perfectly well that Remus was no threat; and indeed, the baby burbled happily in his sleep as he lay snuggled in the werewolf’s loving arms.

But Draco didn’t see; she was entirely preoccupied with the chance to play Quidditch. She had done everything she could not to think about it when she couldn’t play and hadn’t had a moment spare to think about playing since then; but now she could hardly wait to get back in the air.

“Okay, you lot,” Bill said, taking charge and waving them over to the shed where they handed out brooms. “I am thinking five to a team; one seeker, one keeper, one beater and two chasers?”

“Sounds good to me,” Charlie agreed.

Bill looked their little group over, “How about Harry, Draco, Blaise, Ron and Sirius, against Charlie, Fred, George, Fleur and me?”

“Oi, Perce! You wanna be referee?” Charlie called across the garden.

Percy didn’t say anything but they took him getting up and heading over to them as agreement.

“You want to be seeker, Love?” Harry asked almost straight away once they split off into two teams.

Draco looked honestly surprised at that, “Really?” she asked, “I kind of figured...”

“That I would want to...? Sure, but I bet you can out-fly me now you are so little,” Harry told her with a wink.

“Cheeky bastard,” she muttered under her breath but was quietly delighted.

“I’ll be a chaser, if you guys don’t mind,” Blaise said.

Harry noticed the Slytherin boy was being unusually quiet; _probably because of all these people he doesn’t know_ , he thought to himself; he could understand that but if Blaise kept it up then they would have to do something about that.

“I’ll be keeper,” Ron said.

“You okay with being the other chaser, Harry? Leave the beating to me,” Sirius said playfully.

Harry laughed lightly and nodded.

Fred and George opted to be the Beater and the Keeper respectively, after an intense debate and they had Bill and Fleur as the chasers and Charlie as the seeker. The game was fast-paced, mostly due to the smaller-than-usual pitch; there were several narrowly missed collisions and a particularly funny moment when Sirius looped his arm around one of the goal posts, almost pulling himself from his broom, when he swung for the Bludger.

“You dirty dog! Was that an attempt at a foul or are you going to admit you weren’t looking where you were going?” Charlie mocked as they landed to make sure Sirius wasn’t actually injured.

“Dog? I’ll show you dog,” Sirius said transforming into his animagus form.

All hell broke loose for a couple of minutes when he started to chase Charlie, but the Dragon tamer was used to wilder and more dangerous beasts than Sirius, and so took to the sky after a few moments and hovered teasingly just out of reach.

Percy had actually stopped play to read the rule book to see if there were consequences for that, but after a few minutes the rest of them were getting bored and resumed play despite their nominated referee’s objections.

They played for nearly another forty minutes. In the end Bill had managed to score six times and Fleur thrice, giving their team a total of ninety; Harry had scored four times and Blaise twice, meaning they were trailing with only sixty. So it was a great relief when Draco, with a cry of delight, managed to wrap her fingers around the snitch while Charlie was circling at the other end of the pitch; taking them to victory.

Sirius insisted on talking Remus through the whole game play, despite him having watched the whole thing; but the werewolf couldn’t bring himself to object given how happy his old friend sounded. Draco too was looking particularly pleased.

“Was it good to fly again?” Harry asked quietly; as he wrapped one arm around Draco’s waist, his Firebolt in the other, and pulled her back against his chest.

“I had completely forgotten how great it feels,” she said, tilting her head back to look up at him.

“Oi, lovebirds! Stop smooching; Mum says dinner’s ready,” Fred called from near the door.

Harry laughed and Draco gently swatted him with the broomstick that she was still holding to make him release her.

“I need to go feed Orion first,” Draco told him as they rested their broomsticks again the wall of the shed; maybe they could get another game after dinner, before it got dark.

“We have a bottle for him, right?” Harry asked. “I will feed him if you like,” he offered, as he followed her into the house.

“Sure, if you want,” Draco said as they got inside the house, where they found that Fleur had stolen a hug with Orion, who was just starting to wake up and grizzle for food.

“Told you he would want feeding,” Draco told Harry smugly, feeling proud of her maternal instincts as she fished in the baby bag for the bottle of expressed milk.

“Oh, ‘e is ‘ungry?” Fleur asked, “Maybe I give ‘im ‘is bottle?” she asked.

Draco gave Harry a querying look but just got a shrug in response.

“I guess so then,” Draco said hesitantly, “take a seat,”

Fleur followed Draco’s careful instructions with feeding him, as the others, including Bill, looked on; she even burped him cautiously once Orion had emptied the bottle.

“If my girlfriend starts getting broody now, I am so blaming you,” Bill whispered in Harry’s ear, making him laugh.

“Feel free, becoming a Dad was the best thing that has ever happened to me, well that and Draco,” Harry said with a huge, honest, happy smile.

“Would it not have been somewhat better to wait till you were at least not in school?” Bill asked teasingly.

“Well yes; that is true,” Harry admitted, “but you aren’t in school,” he added with a smirk.

“Okay, remind me never to leave you alone with Fleur, you might give her ideas,” Bill said with amusement.

“Dinner is on the table,” Mr Weasley told them and herded them towards the kitchen where the table was practically buried under dishes of delicious-smelling food. Harry was half surprised the wood was able to support the whole weight of it and wouldn’t have been at all surprised if it was being magically assisted.

Molly rolled her eyes at the sight of Remus, who looked as though he didn’t believe he was entirely welcome and was in the process of choosing a chair that would allow him to hide himself away in a corner near Sirius.

“Remus, I have a free chair here,” Molly told him, indicating the seat next to her, “Why don’t you come tell me all about your time away,” she insisted, “what with preparing this meal we haven’t had a chance to catch up yet.”

Remus knew better than to argue with Molly in her own house, so got up to sit with her and once the werewolf was comfortably seated she wasted no time in getting Orion from Fleur.

“Oh, you have been preparing this food all day,” Harry objected, “why don’t you give him to me so you can eat some of it.”

“Nonsense, I want my time with my grandson before you disappear off home with him again,” she insisted and they knew there was no fighting her on it.

“Well it will make a nice change being able to hold cutlery in both hands,” Harry said, as they started helping themselves to dinner; smiling at his son, who had a tight grip on one of Molly’s fingers, tugging it towards his mouth.

Molly was smiling, too, as she looked round the table. “Has everyone got enough food?” she asked. “Blaise, that doesn’t look like nearly enough for a growing boy!”

Blaise looked up, surprised to have addressed directly. “Oh, thank you, Mrs Weasley, but I have plenty.”

“Please,” she said, “call me Molly.”

“So how long are you back in the country, Charlie?” Draco asked.

“Just another week, then I have to get back,” he told them, “glad I got to meet you guys though; I have been hearing stories about Harry for years.”

“I swear I am not nearly as bad as those stories make me sound,” Harry joked.

“No, he is far worse,” Ron added quickly.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Sirius agreed, grinning at Harry.

Harry pretended to look offended by that, turning to where his wife and other best friend were sitting on his other side for back up; only to catch them agreeing with Ron and Sirius.

“Oh I see how it is,” Harry grumbled; crossing his arms and putting on an exaggerated pout.

“Don’t worry, Harry,” Fred told him.

“We’re on your side,” George said.

“We know you aren’t much worse than we are,” Fred finished with a grin.

Fleur just looked a bit confused, Percy was frowning, probably about Harry’s rule breaking habits and Ginny was still in her perpetual sulk; but everyone else was laughing, even Harry chuckled a little. They all stopped suddenly though when Orion made a kind of burbling noise.

“Did he just...?” Blaise asked.

“That sounded like he was trying to laugh,” Hermione said softly.

“He’s just a baby, I don’t know why you guys are fussing so much,” Ginny muttered under her breath.

“Ginny,” Arthur warned lightly and she went back to sulking and stabbing at her dinner with her fork.

Harry and Draco didn’t hear though as they were both busy hurrying around the table and they leaned over Molly’s shoulders trying to encourage the tiny boy to make the sound again.

“He likes being able to see the two of you, you know,” Molly told them, “look he’s smiling.”

He really was smiling and if Harry and Draco Potter hadn’t already been head over heels in love with their baby boy, they would have been at that moment. Everyone around the table stood up and tried to get a look.

“Apparently our son loves attention as much as you do, Love,” Harry teased.

He was right though, Orion was looking around at the various faces that were leaning towards him and made several ridiculously cute babbling noises.

“’e is so adorable,” Fleur cooed, nudging Bill in the ribs gently. Bill said nothing but did send a pointed glare at Harry.

“Okay everyone, back to your dinners,” Molly instructed, “I didn’t spend all this time cooking for you to let it go cold.”

Obediently everyone returned to eating, chatting happily amongst themselves. Well, almost everyone; Harry and Draco seemed far too caught up watching their son’s smiles and listening to his little babbling noises.

“I meant you two too,” she told them sternly, “I don’t trust that elf of yours to feed you properly.”

“We eat fine, Molly,” Harry told her with a roll of his eyes, “Kreacher likes Draco.”

“Well I am going to go clean this little boy up and I expect both of you to be eating when I return,” she said, getting to her feet; completely ignoring the offers to sort Orion that both Harry and Draco made.

“You might as well do as you’re told,” Arthur suggested with obvious amusement and several of the Weasley boys were nodding in agreement.

“Works for me,” Remus agreed.

“Yeah, heaven forbid Draco Malfoy should go hungry,” Ginny snarled quietly; not quietly enough though.

“I am a Potter,” Draco said coldly.

“And she has been for a whole year now, which you would know if you hadn’t been sulking in your room; the ‘HAPPY ANNIVERSARY’ sign might have given you a clue,” Bill told his sister with obvious frustration; between the constant digs she was having at Fleur and her attitude towards Harry and Draco, he had had just about enough of her.

“What do you know, Bill; you have been too busy running off with your...”

“That’s ENOUGH!” Arthur snapped at her, “If you are going to be so negative, young lady, you can take your dinner and eat in the other room,” he told his daughter sternly; he loved Ginny, she would always be his baby girl, but Bill, Fleur, Harry and Draco didn’t deserve to listen to such griping.

 “FINE!” Ginny said angrily, snatching up her plate, “I knew you would side with them anyway. They aren’t even really family,” She yelled gabbing a finger at Draco in particular. She gave one more growl of rage as she reached the kitchen door and slammed it shut behind her.

“Well that killed the mood,” George said after several minutes of awkward silence.

“Sorry...” Arthur started.

“No...” Harry interrupted, “it’s okay; you don’t have to apologise for her, she...”

“She was just being a bitch,” Ron finished.

“RON!” Arthur admonished, “Yes, your sister was wrong to say the things she did; yes, Harry, Draco and Orion are family as far as Molly and I are concerned, but that does NOT give you the right to speak about your sister that way.”

“Sorry Dad,” Ron apologised and he sounded like he meant it too; they were all just worried about what was going on with their sister. Where was the little nervous girl they had grown up with?

“What was that about?” Molly asked as she came back into the kitchen, with a now sleeping Orion.

They told her about Ginny and she promised that she would be speaking with her daughter later.

“Perhaps we can lighten the mood with a few gifts,” Bill suggested, summoning a wrapped tube and handing it down the table towards the guests of honour.

“This is for us?” Harry asked with surprise; it still kind of threw him whenever someone gave him a present.

“Of course,” Fleur told him.

Harry handed it to Draco to open and was highly amused by the care she took in peeling back the shiny silver paper, revealing a roll of parchment inside.

“Parchment is the traditional gift for first anniversary,” Molly explained at their mildly confused expressions.

“Well go on then, unroll it,” Bill prompted.

As Draco did as instructed, Harry was suddenly very glad for the care she had taken with the wrapping paper. A beautiful pencil sketch of Orion was revealed and Harry recognised that it had to have been based on one of the many photographs Molly Weasley now had.

“Wow...” Harry said emotionally, as the little pencil baby blinked up at them.

Draco honestly had tears on her face.

“You like it?” Fleur asked.

“No, I love it,” Draco corrected quickly, “it is the most beautiful gift I have ever seen... thank you,” she said and her voice was definitely a little wobbly.

“Yes, thank you,” Harry reiterated, “it is amazing.”

“You’re welcome,” Bill said with a smile, “that’s from me, Fleur, Charlie and Percy.”

“Ours kind of goes with it,” Arthur told them as he passed them another similarly wrapped tube and Draco passed the picture of Orion along for Hermione, Ron and Blaise to have a look at.

Harry unwrapped it as carefully as Draco had done with the previous one and found that it was a similar pencil drawing but of himself and Draco.

“These really are incredible,” Harry said, wrapping his arm around Draco and pulling her into his side, as they smiled down at the picture of themselves.

“Charlie drew them,” Fred blurted out.

“OI!” Charlie said, “You weren’t supposed to tell them that,” he said, the tips of his ears reddening with embarrassment.

“This is quite a talent, Charlie,” Hermione told him.

“Yeah, so I have been told, I just don’t like talking about it,” he explained, through the fingers he was covering his face with. “People have expectations if they know,” he mumbled.

“Well don’t worry, your secret is safe with us,” Harry promised.

“This is from us,” the twins said together, and George handed over what looked to be a pair of small leather bound books.

Harry pulled the ribbon that was holding them together and handed one of them to Draco; they really were beautiful books but when they opened them they were completely blank and they both looked up at the twins in confusion.

“Made them ourselves,” Fred said proudly.

“A unique pair,” George added.

Fred was grinning; “Write in one,” he told them.

“And it will appear in the other.” George finished.

“That is amazing.” Hermione said, leaning forward as though a closer look would give away all its secrets.

“Yes, it is,” Draco agreed, clutching hers close to her chest when it looked like Hermione might want to start experimenting on it right there at the dinner table.

“This is from Sirius and me,” Remus said, handing over what looked like it might be a very large book. “Though, admittedly, it is almost completely Sirius’ doing.”

Harry was curious as he pulled off the paper and he thought it looked a bit more like a folder than a book; carefully opening to the first page he saw numerous pictures that he had no idea had been taken from the moment Sirius had come back into his life.

There were all sorts of notes and scribbles, around the pictures and by the time they got to the first few pictures of Orion, they found that every tiny detail of their son’s life had been noted down so as never to be forgotten.

 “You have been doing this all along?” Draco asked with obvious surprise.

“Well, sort of,” Sirius confessed, “I was just kind of keeping notes and taking pictures, it was Remus who put it all together into this book.”

“Well thank you,” Harry told them.

“Both of you,” Draco insisted in a way that gave Remus hope.

“Well before everyone gets all teary again, here is a present from the three of us,” Ron said bluntly, handing Draco a parcel that was undoubtedly books.

It turned out it was a book of constellations which Blaise said was to help with naming the inevitable more children they would have in the future; and books about the constellations Orion and Draco. It took all of about five seconds for Draco to start flicking through the books with interest and so Harry thanked their friends.

“Yes, they are brilliant; thank you,” Draco agreed, looking up from the book about his own constellation.

“Well just remember this doesn’t mean you have to have more children soon,” Molly pointed out and Harry and Draco looked up with matching devious smirks that made everyone laugh.

While they truly were very grateful for the gifts, and humbled at the thoughtfulness that had gone into them, all in all the dinner had been a hell of a lot more emotionally draining than anyone had thought likely. So it was to great relief that Arthur suggested they move back outside so that they could all get some fresh air, given how crowded it was with so many guests.

For a while they all sat around on blankets and at the picnic tables, enjoying the sunshine; but they couldn’t resist another game of Quidditch, though without the snitch due to the encroaching darkness, to round off the day.

“And here is to my wonderful wife,” Harry toasted with his glass of juice, “may the next year bring us as much happiness as this one has; though perhaps with a little bit less drama might be nice,” he added.

“I second that,” Draco said with a laugh.

“Hear, hear,” their friends and family called out.


	30. Summer Weather

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 30. This was actually finished ready for this weekend, but I ended up with no internet access and was far too tired to post last night. But hope you enjoy it despite the slight delay. Also chapter 31 is written and I hope to make a good start on chapter 32 today with any luck. 
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link to my profile on my bio.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their assistance and support with helping to whip this stubborn chapter into shape.

_ Previously: _

_For a while they all sat around on blankets and at the picnic tables, enjoying the sunshine; but they couldn’t resist another game of Quidditch, though without the snitch due to the encroaching darkness, to round off the day._

_“And here is to my wonderful wife,” Harry toasted with his glass of juice, “may the next year bring us as much happiness as this one has; though perhaps with a little bit less drama might be nice,” he added._

_“I second that,” Draco said with a laugh._

_“Hear, hear,” their friends and family called out._

-#-

The morning after the anniversary party, the residents of Grimmauld place were in a relaxed and peaceful mood. A letter arrived detailing what Ron had overheard after they had returned home, when Molly had yelled at Ginny; apparently the words ‘spiteful’, ‘insensitive’ and ‘disappointment’ had come up several times. Ron had also mentioned that Molly had insisted that Harry, Draco and Orion were family; that no-one would be standing for Ginny's rudeness; and that it was time that she grew up.

Harry tried to feel bad for her; he had cared for Ginny as much as he had any of the Weasleys but her inability to accept his family and the way she had spoken to them... he couldn't forgive that. Molly's comments, as always, went straight to his heart, but he felt guilty for being the cause of such a rift between mother and daughter.

Draco had comforted him with a hug and a kiss, and pointed out that either Ginny would come around and then Harry could be all Gryffindor and forgive her far too soon, or she wouldn't, in which case she deserved, and needed, all the discipline Molly could give her.

Harry still couldn't find the humour that Ron, and Draco to some extent, had found in Ginny's dressing down; but he did concede that Draco was right, and so he did his best to not think on it any further. He suggested they make the most of the warm, summer August weather, as it was bound not to last.

And so it was, an hour or so later, that the family stood on the patio area of Grimmauld Place's garden looking out at the rest of it longingly; Remus had suggested a picnic in the garden, which they had all agreed was a great idea, until Sirius had pulled them to the back door to remind them exactly what it was like out the back of the house.

It  had been left more or less untended since Sirius' mother's death over a decade earlier; though Sirius suggested it might have even been longer than that, given that she had never been a particularly outdoorsy person, to say the least.

Harry was inclined to agree with his godfather, given the truly wild feel to the place. There was almost waist high grass, which could hardly be distinguished from the equally overgrown weeds, and the whole area was surprisingly dark, despite the bright summer weather, because it was surrounded by large trees that Harry assumed marked the approximate boundaries to the garden. He vaguely wondered if there were actually marked or fenced boundaries to be found under all the runaway nature before them.

"It is kind of nice in a way," Harry told them, "feels like a little piece of the wild."

"And you think we should take our son out to enjoy the summer in this particular ‘little piece of the wild’?" Draco asked incredulously.

Sirius sniggered in amusement, as he always did when Draco scolded her husband using her 'you're being an idiot' voice.

"That's not what I meant," Harry said with a roll of his eyes and a light chuckle, "I am all for trying to turn .... this," he said as he waved a hand in the direction of the overgrown mess, "into a real garden, particularly before Orion figures out how to move about by himself, but I was just saying that there is something kind of nice about it like this."

"Well you will have to find another patch of nature to admire," Draco told him firmly. "Kreacher," she called out, summoning the elf, who appeared obediently at her side. "You are to sort this garden, we wish to be able to use it by tomorrow," she told him firmly, "and I am sure you know the kind of standard I am expecting," she added.

"Of course, Mistress," Kreacher said smarmily, with a deep bow.

Draco almost managed to suppress her flinch at the manner of address; somehow 'mistress' was far weirder than ‘Mrs Potter’ or female pronouns had ever been.

"Kreacher will be seeing to it right away," the elf told her, vanishing with a small pop.

Presumably he had gone to start working, a thought which the subtle rustling of the grasses near the bottom of the garden seemed to corroborate. It was nice being outside; there was a least a gentle breeze which took the edge off the summer heat that permeated the house; and so they stood quietly for a while, watching the movement of the grasses and weeds, listening to the nattering of the birds.

Of course when you have a two month old son, you never get such moments for long and Harry smiled wryly as Orion's cry reached their ears.

"I'll get him," he told his wife, placing a kiss on top of her hair as he turned and headed back inside.

"If he is hungry, bring him down," Draco called after him a few seconds later.

"Okay, Love," Harry called back.

-#-

Harry was on one of the sofas in the living room the next day. He had talked Draco into letting Remus hold Orion; even if it was with a little reluctance and an agreement that they stayed in the room. Draco was leaning into Harry's side, his arm around her shoulder to help encourage her not to jump up and snatch their baby boy back from the werewolf's unsure arms.

"He won't hurt you, you know," Harry teased.

"I know that," Remus said, looking up at Harry with a confused expression, his rigid hold on the baby not changing.

"Then why do you look so terrified of him?" Draco challenged with an amused smirk, but Harry could feel how tense she was; itching to take Orion back.

"They are fine, trust me," Harry whispered into her ear, "please; for me; for Sirius... for Orion."

Draco gave him an exasperated smile over her shoulder as she got up and moved to sit next to Remus; she could do this for her family.

"Look..." she said, getting the older man's attention; he seemed surprised to see the petite blonde sitting so close. "Relax," she instructed, gripping the arm which was under her son.

Remus tried to comply and seemed quietly pleased that Draco was making such an effort with him. Harry felt pretty proud of his wife, knowing how uneasy she felt around the werewolf; though things had steadily improved between the two of them over the week or so Remus had been there.

Harry too was feeling a lot more welcoming to his father's old friend and was starting to feel somewhat fond of the other man's presence in their house and family; the change in Sirius was tangible and that alone might have been enough to get Harry onside. Sirius was surprised how much younger he felt and was fairly sure he was laughing more too; sure, he was happy with the Potters, they were his family and he loved them, but Remus was there for him, was his friend and that eased the loneliness he hadn't even known he was feeling.

Orion cooed and smiled up at Remus, as the older man's posture loosened and confidence grew.

"See, he can tell you're more comfortable now," Draco told him.

 Remus grinned. "Feels like five minutes ago I was holding your Daddy like this," he told Orion, "and your Grandmother was laughing at how awkward I was. That is a weird thought; James and Lily as Grandparents," he said mostly to himself, but suddenly looked up at Harry nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry," he apologised quickly.

"No... no, it's okay; I don't remember them and didn't get to hear about them growing up, I would love it if you would tell Orion about them, even if it is a little painful sometimes," Harry assured him.

"I can do that," Remus agreed, "I wouldn't mind if you wanted to listen to a few stories about them either," he told him.

Harry was delighted and nodded with an enthusiasm that made Draco worry he was about to hurt his neck. "That would be great, but I am sure it must be difficult for you too, sometimes," he told the werewolf.

Remus sighed, "Yes and no, I like remembering them, but it is bitter sweet; you should have had time with them and Orion should too. I hate that that was stolen from you. I feel almost guilty that we got to spend all those years with them but you lost them so early."

Harry chuckled, "Sirius said something similar soon after we moved in here," he explained.

"Oh," Remus said slowly, not really sure what else to say to that; it was somewhat comforting that he wasn't the only one feeling those things. He thought that it was something that he and Sirius should have a heart to heart about at some point; though no doubt his old friend would be reluctant.

"It's okay, you know," Harry assured him, giving him a concerned look as Remus got stuck in his own thoughts.

"It will be," Remus said quietly; handing Orion back to his mother, "I am going to find Sirius and recruit him to help me make some lunch, given that Kreacher is still busy with that garden."

"Oh, okay," Draco said, obviously rather thrown as Remus got up from his seat and didn't look back as he made a hasty exit.

"Well that was... weird," Harry said and his wife just shrugged in response; moving Orion to lean against her chest as she took a seat back next to Harry again.

"He has issues," Draco said bluntly.

Harry laughed, shaking his head and wrapping an arm around Draco and pulling her gently so that she was all but sitting on his lap, Orion nestled against them both.

"Pot I would like you to meet Kettle; Kettle, Pot," he said. "In case you hadn't noticed, Love, we are a family of people with issues. He is going to fit in just fine," he added; placing a kiss on Draco's hair, as he ran his hand over Orion's.

Draco scowled up at him, but there was no real heat to the expression, so he just smiled at her affectionately and a couple of seconds later she sighed in acceptance, cuddling against him.

It was true, even Draco could admit it, that they all had more issues than they usually liked to discuss and it did sometimes worry her just who was going to snap first. They should probably sit down and talk about them, or perhaps even get professional help but she wasn't comfortable with them airing their dirty laundry while their guardianship of Orion was still being so carefully monitored. She didn't really want any of them to stew in their respective emotional messes; but for Orion, everything else could wait.

-#-

All three of the Potters were almost asleep when Sirius' head appeared around the door to the living room a little under an hour later.

"Lunch is ready if you guys can keep your eyes open long enough to enjoy the results of all the hard work me and Remus have put into it."

Draco grumbled and turned her head to snuggle more closely against her husband; Harry's stomach had other plans though and rumbled loudly, making Orion let out a huffy giggle.

"Are you laughing at your father, young man?" Harry scolded playfully placing a kiss on his son's forehead.

"You should probably get used to it," Draco mumbled and, though he couldn't see her face, he was sure she was hiding a smile.

"Hey! I thought as parents we were supposed to be on the same team," Harry's voice was full of laughter as he failed to be stern, "not have you gang up with Orion against me."

"Ah, you must be delusional, Harry," Sirius chuckled, leaning casually against the doorframe, "she is his mother, she is always going to be on his side."

Harry made a kind of 'humph' noise but then grinned widely and, when Draco looked up with a devious smirk, he stole a kiss from her.

"Yes, yes; you are all very cute," Sirius droned, looking delighted with the matching expressions of annoyance that that caused on their faces, "but we made lunch and we need you to come and tell us what a wonderful job we have done to boost our egos."

Draco got to her feet, "Sirius, the one thing you really do not need is an ego boost," she told him as she offered her free hand to Harry to help him stand. He winced slightly as he tried to ease a small cramp in his leg from where Draco had been leaning on him, before following his wife and godfather from the room.

 "Erm, Sirius," he heard Draco say as the two of them entered the kitchen ahead of him, "when you said you made lunch, you did know you are supposed to actually have food."

Harry snorted in amusement at his wife's sarcastic wit as he came into the room, which was, as Draco had implied, free from any signs of prepared food, but Sirius was heading out the other door.

"The garden's done?" Harry asked with a wide, hopeful smile.

"Come see," Sirius encouraged, with a playful bounce to his step as he headed for the back door.

Draco looked over her shoulder at Harry with laughing eyes; something about Sirius' good mood was infectious. Harry caught up with her and guided his young family after his somewhat crazy godfather.

As they stepped out of the backdoor they were both rendered speechless at the sight before them. The long grass was gone, leaving behind a perfect even and soft looking green lawn; the trees had been trimmed back and there was so much more light able to get into the space that they suspected some of the trees had been completely removed. Even the patio area had been cleaned, restoring the grey stone to its original pale, slightly yellow colour; and the dark grey metal table and chairs were not the ones that had been there previously. The chairs even had new looking cushions for added comfort.

Remus was waving at them from his seat on a large fluffy blanket in the middle of the lawn, with a large selection of dishes that was obviously their lunch. The young couple couldn't stop smiling as they made their way towards him, and Harry hoped that Draco was also thinking about watching Orion play out here for years to come.

They could now see dark wooden fences that ran the length of the border and a large shed that was situated at the far end of the garden. The flower beds that followed most of the fencing however were unplanted.

"Kreacher seemed to think you might want to choose what to plant yourself, Draco," Remus said as they approached and noticed that the blonde was eyeing the unplanted areas.

Harry looked a bit confused at this; did Draco have a thing about plants that he had somehow completely missed?

"I can grow my own ingredients," she said happily, with a thoughtful expression on her face as she had already began planning what she would get first. "There are a lot I don't feel comfortable growing with Orion around; he might not be able to get at them yet, but a year from now, I dread to think what he will try to put in his mouth."

The others nodded their agreement as they joined Remus on the picnic blanket.

"Dorema Ammoniacum, Asphodel, Boom Berry plant, Sopophorous beans, Knotgrass, lovage and various fruit plants should all be safe," she went on, clearly delighted at the prospect of her own potion ingredient garden, "I will have to look up what else I might want."

"We will set you up a potions lab in one of the empty rooms," Harry promised, putting several sandwiches and a large helpings of salad onto two plates, one for him and one for Draco.

"Maybe we should plant the plants that can be used as food on one side of the garden and everything else on the other side, under wards, just in case," Draco suggested.

"Whatever you think best, Love," Harry told her with a grin.

"You better not be mocking me, Harry Potter," Draco warned seriously.

"I'm not," Harry insisted, hand held up to placate her, "just saying I am happy to defer to your expertise on this matter."

"Yes... well... quite right," she said, as she lay Orion down on his front on the blanket.

They had to quickly move a couple of plates of food when Orion made to reach for them, making Harry and Sirius laugh.

It was so nice to just be able to sit outside and enjoy the sunny and rain-free weather; though Draco was already worrying about Orion being out in the sun and sent Harry to fetch a jar of protection lotion she had had Severus brew for her. Orion was quickly covered in the thin, clear liquid, despite his cried out objections. It took a few minutes but once he was calm once more and back on the blanket with a rattle clenched in a tiny fist, Draco handed the jar to Harry with a smirk.

"I am very pale you know," she told him, "I think it is best if you make sure I am protected from this dangerous sun too."

Sirius let out a barking laugh and Harry took great care in making sure his wife's face, arms and short covered legs were carefully coated with lotion; she did have a point about her pale skin. She then slipped her top over her head, keeping the arms on, such that it covered only her front. Remus was pointedly keeping his eyes on Orion and Sirius hid a grin as he made himself busy refilling his empty plate.

Draco tried, and mostly failed, to bite back a moan as Harry dug his fingers in deeply and massaged her back using the lotion. Having great timing as always though, it was only about five minutes later that Orion began to cry; Draco put her top back on, to take their tired son inside to be changed, fed and put down to sleep.

"If you're not back in fifteen, Love, I will come rescue you," Harry promised, making Draco laugh as she headed inside.

"I keep meaning to tell you, Harry," Remus said, as soon as Draco was inside, "how impressed I have been with both of you; I made no secrets of my doubts and concerns, but you have surprised me."

"Err... thanks," Harry said, feeling slightly awkward and flustered; sure, Remus was as much one of his father's best friends as Sirius was, but they had never really connected in the same way and were just getting to know each other. The acknowledgement was welcome none the less.

Sirius seemed to appreciate the sentiment too, if the way he was looking between the two of them was any indication; though he also decided the moment was far too serious because he suddenly transformed into his shaggy black dog form and started running circles around the pair of them.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" Harry said with a laugh.

"I bet there is a ball or at least a quaffle in the shed," Remus suggested, "probably keep him entertained for hours with that."

Harry had never thought that dogs would be able to pout, but it sure looked like Sirius was at that moment, but he headed over to the shed, with Sirius on his heels, to see what was in there.

And that was how it came to be that when Draco returned ten minutes later, that she found Harry and Sirius, still in dog form, playing some version of catch or fetch, she wasn't quite sure.

"They seem to be enjoying themselves," she commented as she sat down next to Remus.

"It would seem so," he agreed, "you really have your hands full; I swear Sirius is going to be permanently a child."

Draco frown at that, glad that Remus' eyes were still fixed on the others, "he has been exactly what we needed, practically our father, and Orion's grandfather, for more than a year," she defended.

"Oh, I meant no offence; I love Sirius very much, he is my best friend," Remus tried to explain, "he is just..."

"Admittedly he does have a rather... childish streak," Draco conceded, "I just don't want you to underestimate him. He looks up to you a lot, it would be nice if you could return the favour," she explained.

Remus looked thoughtful and turned back to watch Harry managed to throw the ball just over Sirius' head such that when he leapt to try and catch it, he ended up falling into one of the unplanted flower beds. Harry howled with laughter, clutching his side and turning to grin at Remus; his smile became impossibly wider as he saw Draco there too.

"You should come play, love," he encouraged, trying to wave her over.

"No thank you, I am quite happy to sit here and watch you," she said with a wink.

"Oh sweetheart, if you want to stare at my arse you only had to say," Harry teased back.

Remus rested his head on his hand and mock exasperated groaned. "Sometimes there is no forgetting he is James' son!"

"You should tell him that, you know," Draco pointed out, "or maybe later I can tell him you said it?"

"Sure," Remus agreed, as they both turned back to watching the two others resume their game.

Later that night, as the young couple lay in bed, Harry let out a surprised laugh when his wife told him what Remus had said; he was used to being told he look like the James, but being told he had some of his personality too, made him feel just that little bit more connected to the father he would never know.

-#-

It was the early hours of the morning when Harry came down to the kitchen in search of a glass of water; he stopped just outside the room though when the sounds of laughter reached his ears. Carefully he pushed open the door just enough to be able to see Remus and Sirius sitting at the table, a half empty bottle of some alcoholic looking drink between them.

"And then James... do you remember?" Sirius said through peals of laughter.

Remus laughed too, "Oh yeah, and Peter thought he was being  serious."

"I know, it was just so funny."

"I miss those days," Remus told him with longing in his voice.

"Me too, Moony; me too," Sirius agreed, downing the rest of his glass. "I love what I have here with Harry, Draco and Orion though."

"They are great, " Remus agreed. "Harry reminds me so much of James; makes me happy and sad all at once."

"I second that, but you need to stop letting Draco make you feel awkward," Sirius told him firmly, "this is my home and you are welcome here; Draco isn't in charge, no matter how much she would like to me."

"She might not be in charge, but this _IS_ her family, Sirius; Orion is her son and I just want her to trust me."

"She does, or at least she is trying to," Sirius assured him. "Just give her time, old friend."

Harry smiled; it was nice to see the two of them reconnecting. He quietly pulled the door closed and headed upstairs, having decided he would call Kreacher to bring him a glass of water rather than disturb their conversation.

-#-

It was nearly a week later and Remus and Draco were sitting in the living room, both reading; Remus was about half way through a fiction novel that Sirius had recommended and Draco was looking through a catalogue; circling various things, such a vials, jars,  work surfaces, cauldrons, shelving and stirrers, that she wanted or needed to set up the potion lab that Harry had promised her.

They were alone together as Harry was taking a nap upstairs, having gotten up several times in the night with Orion and Sirius had gone to Hogwarts to discuss the lesson plans he had been working on with Dumbledore; Draco was relishing the rare moment when she could do something for herself, while Orion slept upstairs, in the bassinette next to her and Harry's bed.

Remus glanced up from his book, giving the blonde a nervous look and hesitating for a moment before speaking.

"I keep meaning to ask about his name," Remus said softly.

Draco looked up slowly, her brow furrowed as she tried to puzzle out what the werewolf was getting at now.

"Orion's name; why Orion?" he asked, "I am sure you know that Sirius hated his father, so feels a bit insensitive to choose that name? I mean I get that it is a Black family name and given you aren't a Malfoy any more you wanted to give him some piece of your..."

"No, stop," Draco interrupted in a annoyed voice, "that has nothing to DO with it and I didn't even KNOW that Sirius' father was called Orion," she explained angrily; _stupid werewolf, making assumptions_ , she thought to herself.

"Oh... then..."

"He was named after Sirius, you thoughtless bastard," she snapped angrily, getting to her feet. "You know, Orion being your best friend's middle name, and him being the man who took me and Harry in when we had no-one; the man who loved me unconditionally like a father almost from day one, just because Harry loves me; the man who stepped up and became a guardian for Orion when I was less than two months pregnant with him," she ranted.

Remus was stunned and felt unable to move from his seat where Draco was towering over him despite her petite size, a force to be reckoned with; and that wasn't even thinking about how upset Harry and Sirius would be when they found out how much he had upset the blonde.

He held up his hands in surrender. "Right, I'm sorry, I didn't think..."

"Obviously," she mumbled under her breath.

"Maybe I should..."

"Leave, go, get the fuck out..." she suggested, "yes that might be a good idea."

Remus sighed as he got to his feet and headed for the door. "I really didn't mean..."

"I know," Draco said, interrupting again, "And you can come back in a couple of hours, but right now, I don't want you near me," she told him.

Remus looked for a moment as though he was going to speak but apparently thought better of it as he turned and headed for the front door.

"Do you really get how important Sirius is to us?" she asked, as he had his hand on the door handle. "Did you honestly think I would have named my son something with the intention of hurting him?" she asked with confusion.

"Of course not, which is why I didn't understand; it just kind of didn't cross my mind that it was Sirius' middle name, I just associated Orion with the horrible man who made one of best friends’ childhood a misery," Remus told her so quietly that she wouldn't have been able to make out the words if not for the complete eerie silence of the house. "Like I said; I really am sorry."

Draco nodded; she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Be back in time for dinner," she told him, before turning and hurrying upstairs; she really needed to check on Orion and cuddle with Harry for a bit.

Remus managed a small smile as he stood in the hallway, glad he hadn't completely undone all the progress the two of them had made; that Draco at least seemed to have understood his reasoning and was going to forgive him, if she hadn't already.

Opening the front door and heading out on to the quiet London street, he was thankful it was nice weather for a walk and decided it would do him good to build up an appetite by taking a stroll anyway.

 


	31. Results

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 31. Writing still going moderately well, at least for this story. Chapter 32 is finished too and chapter 33 has be started, even if only a little bit. 
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their help and guidance.

_ Previously: _

_Draco nodded; she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Be back in time for dinner," she told him, before turning and hurrying upstairs; she really needed to check on Orion and cuddle with Harry for a bit._

_Remus managed a small smile as he stood in the hallway, glad he hadn't completely undone all the progress the two of them had made; that Draco at least seemed to have understood his reasoning and was going to forgive him, if she hadn't already._

_Opening the front door and heading out on to the quiet London street, he was thankful it was nice weather for a walk and decided it would do him good to build up an appetite by taking a stroll anyway._

-#-

Draco mentioned nothing of the conversation she and Remus had had, regarding Orion's name, and Remus, wisely, followed her lead; there was no need for Harry or Sirius to also get upset about his misunderstanding. There must have been some residual tension between them though, because a few days later he overheard Harry quietly ask Draco what had happened between them; it had been a tense few seconds until Draco had assured him that it was nothing.

Remus felt like he was walking on eggshells, waiting for Draco to speak out against him and have him thrown out of the house he was coming to think of as home, away from the people he was starting to think of as family; but over a week later, things were much as they ever were and Remus started to relax. Draco still wasn't as comfortable handing Orion to him as she was with giving the baby to Harry or Sirius, but he thought that was understandable and found that it just made him cherish the occasional cuddles he was permitted.

 They wanted to avoid exposing Orion to the public and as such Harry and Draco chose to stay home as much as possible; but fortunately their friends, understanding this, made sure to visit them. Blaise had shown up for lunch several times, mostly to avoid one of his mother's arguments about Harry and Draco. Sirius had offered him a room to stay in, but Blaise had suggested that their helping him effectively run away from home was not the way to go about getting her on side. Ron had come over once, with the twins, and they had all spent a lovely day in the garden; it turned out Fred was a natural with Orion and delighted in being taught how to care for the tiny boy.

Mid-August two very familiar looking letters arrived, one for Draco and the other for Harry; they presumably contained the usual information about the upcoming Hogwarts school year and their booklists, but far more crucially they contained their OWL results.

"I can't believe I actually managed to forget these were coming," Draco said, as she sat in the kitchen staring at the unopened letter.

"It is easier to read if you open it," Sirius said, helping himself to another helping of bacon.

Draco glared at him for a moment for that. "Maybe Harry should open his first," she suggested quietly.

"I am sure you did great, Love," Harry insisted, "but I will go first if it will make you feel better," he agreed, handing Orion to Remus and picking up his own letter.

He didn't hesitate as he pulled it open and set aside several pages, including the covering letter and booklist, until he found the page he was looking for. Harry stubbornly ignored the churning sensation in his stomach; he knew he had done well, Draco and Hermione had made sure of that with their obsessive study habits.

Harry read down the list his grin widening, he had passed everything except for Divination, and that was not something he was going to lose sleep over.

"Well..." Draco demanded impatiently.

"Two Outstandings, five Exceeds Expectations, one Acceptable," he told them proudly, sliding the sheet of parchment across the table so that Draco could read it herself:

**_Astronomy (E)_ **

**_Care of Magical Creatures (E)_ **

**_Charms (E)_ **

**_Defence Against the Dark Arts (O)_ **

**_Divination (P)_ **

**_Herbology (O)_ **

**_History of Magic (A)_ **

**_Potions (E)_ **

**_Transfiguration (E)_ **

"What happened to Divination?" Draco asked in a horrified voice, as though the idea of failing an exam was beyond her comprehension.

Harry however just shrugged dismissively. "Your turn," he prompted, taking his page of grades back and handing it over to Sirius.

"I am sure you did great, Draco," Remus told her as he rocked a half asleep Orion in his arms, "you were always right at the top of my classes and I remember Professor Snape speaking most highly of you."

Draco gave him a grateful smile for his efforts. "I wasn't pregnant when I was studying back then, nor did I have a few week old baby when I sat any of those tests," she pointed out.

"You won't know unless you look," Sirius told her.

"You open it," Draco said suddenly, passing the letter to Harry.

He did so and, like with his own, sorted through the additional pages until he found the one they were looking for. He grinned and had to make a great effort not to laugh; she had really been worrying over nothing.

"Not a single grade under an Exceeds Expectations," he told her, practically radiating pride.

"Let me see," she said excitedly, snatching the parchment from his hand and scanning it:

**_Ancient Runes (O)_ **

**_Arithmancy (O)_ **

**_Astronomy (E)_ **

**_Care of Magical Creatures (E)_ **

**_Charms (O)_ **

**_Defence Against the Dark Arts (E)_ **

**_Herbology (O)_ **

**_History of Magic (O)_ **

**_Potions (O)_ **

**_Transfiguration (O)_ **

"Bit disappointed with Astronomy and Defence," she admitted.

Harry rolled his eyes, "You did incredibly; just like we all knew you would," he told her.

"This we need to celebrate," Sirius insisted, practically jumping up from his seat and vanishing out of the kitchen.

"Why do I suddenly have the feeling it is best not to ask?" Harry queried.

Remus scoffed, "because you have great instincts."

-#-

As it happened Sirius' idea of celebrating involved some very old and dusty bottles of wine that he hinted he might have stolen from his parents in his youth and hidden rather well. The man looked rather defeated when Draco pointed out she wouldn't drink while she was still breastfeeding and even more so when Remus pointed out that the two of them were still only sixteen, and under Sirius' care, and as such shouldn't be encouraged to indulge in such things.

Harry had placated his godfather somewhat with promises that their NEWT celebration would be an event to remember and Sirius had promised to preserve the wine collection until then.

Letters arrived during the day to tell them their friends' grades and it was little surprise to any of them that Hermione's arrived first; telling them about her straight Outstandings, with the exception of Defence Against the Dark Arts, where she got an Exceeds Expectations.

Draco had sulked, that Hermione had done better than her, for the ten minutes it took Harry to write a reply with their own grades; until Harry reminded her that Hermione hadn't been pregnant for most of the school year. Draco seemed appeased by that and insisted that she would just have to prove who was smarter when they sat their NEWTs.

Draco was undoubtedly pleased that she had done better than Blaise, who got Exceeds Expectations in everything apart from Acceptable in History of Magic and Outstandings in both Charms and Transfiguration; and she took great joy in writing the letter back with her grades; so much so that she almost forgot to include Harry's at all.

Though Ron had done worse than the rest of them, he still only failed Divination and History of Magic, getting a Poor in both; receiving an Acceptable in Astronomy and Exceeds Expectations in the rest. Draco had make a couple of jokes about him not having gotten a single Outstanding but Harry was just pleased that his best friend's letter seemed to imply that the redhead was delighted with those results; and that was enough in Harry's book and he, as they had for Hermione and Blaise, wrote a response with their own results.

Despite the rejection of Sirius’s initial celebration suggestion they settled for a nice family dinner and Draco even instructed Kreacher to use the fine dinner service, which Harry had silently thought pretentious but was happy to go along with because it seemed to make the petite blonde happy. Sirius however scowled at his plate when they sat down to eat and they could only assume he was associating it with his childhood.

"We are just going to have to make happy memories to replace the ones that put looks like that on your face," Harry told his godfather.

Sirius managed to smile at that and raised his glass for a toast.

"To making new memories," he said loudly.

"To new memories," the others chorused, as dishes of beautiful and aromatic food appeared on the table.

"And to great results, despite difficult circumstances," Remus added.

"Hear, hear!" Sirius agreed, downing half his drink.

Harry just managed to hold back a laugh as he caught sight of Draco rolling her eyes in his peripheral vision; she wasn't likely to get the formal dinners she had grown up with with Sirius as family, but she didn't look particularly upset by this.

-#-

When there was only a week left of the summer holidays, they knew that they could avoid it no longer and they had to make sure they were ready to return to the school; so it was decided that they would all brave heading out into public and visit Diagon Alley for the various supplies and books they needed.

Sirius had suggested that perhaps he could go alone, or even just take Harry, but Draco had shot that idea down quickly; she missed the shopping street that she had been visiting for more or less her whole life and while she was nervous about being so exposed with Orion, she was also aware that it would have to happen sooner or later. Remus however was obviously on edge about the whole thing and the day before the planned trip Sirius pulled him to one side after dinner and finally asked him what the problem was.

"I just don't think it is a good idea," Remus told him.

"Oh, it will be fine; no-one is going to try anything in such a public place," Sirius said dismissively.

"That's not what I meant," Remus explained, "I don't think it is a good idea for me to be seen with you; not with Orion's guardianship in question. Surely being seen to be letting a werewolf hang around is not going to do them any favours," he said sadly.

Sirius opened his mouth several times to argue back, but he knew that his old friend was right; they would have to face Diagon Alley and the public without him. It was a strange prospect when they had grown so used to him being around.

-#-

The morning of their planned trip was both nerve wracking and exciting, and they were keen to get to the shopping street before the crowds truly started to gather like they were bound to do, particularly so close to the start of term.

"No, strap him to you," Draco insisted, when Harry went to put Orion's carrier on her.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, "I thought you would want him with you."

"I want him safe," Draco said firmly, pushing the carrier against Harry's chest, determination flashing in her eyes. "People are less likely to give you trouble than me; I need to know he is safe."

"Draco..." Harry said in a slow deep voice.

"Harry, I really don't need to hear your assurances right now; nor do I need you to tell me how you need your hands free to be able protect me," she said with a knowing smirk. "I need you to protect Orion."

Harry looked hesitant; Draco was right about him wanting to be able to easily protect her, which would be more difficult with their son strapped to his chest. She could protect herself though; he would still be able to cast spells if really needed; and Sirius would be there too.

He nodded. "Okay, if it will make you feel better, Love," he agreed.

"Thank you," she said, sounding truly grateful and going up on her toes to place a chaste kiss on his lips.

"You ready for this freshly cleaned up young man then?" Sirius asked as he came downstairs with Orion.

"Almost," Harry told his godfather, as Draco helped loop all the straps around him and double checked them to make sure they were correctly fitted.

"Ready," Draco said surely, stepping back so that Sirius could ease the little boy into the carrier.

"Very cute," Remus said from the nearby doorway, "I imagine you will have a following of swooning fan girls all day."

Harry turned and looked at him with a rather baffled expression.

"On second thought, maybe I _SHOULD_ carry him," Draco mumbled and Harry noticed that she was scowling.

He chuckled. "Silly wife," he teased with a grin, chucking her under her chin, "don't you know that they don't stand a chance; I am all yours."

"Stupid prat of a husband," she said, batting away his hand, "I know that, but don't you know that I still hate other people ogling you?" she retorted, making Sirius snort with amusement.

"Come on, you two, let's get into town," Sirius suggested quickly, before they could get into it. "I would rather not have to deal with the afternoon crowds if we can avoid it." _Nor you two having a marital spat in the hallway_ , he thought to himself.

They nodded in consent, and Draco handed Harry a small blanket to hold loosely over Orion, which would keep the soot from the Floo travel off his face and our of his lungs. Sirius stepped up to the fireplace first, as planned, so that he could make sure they weren't going to encounter any problems at the other end and threw in the powder, turning the flames green, and stepped in.

"Diagon Alley," he called out, vanishing.

"I'll go next," Draco told Harry, placing a hand on his arm when he went to step forward, "I will catch you at the other end," she said cheekily with a wink as she threw the floo powder and then quickly stepped into the flames. "Diagon Alley," she said clearly, following Sirius through the floo.

Harry shook his head as he laughed at her; it was nice seeing her so happy and he wasn't looking forward to the inevitable masks she would wear while in public, especially if people started to give them trouble.

"Stay safe," Remus said quietly from the other side of the room.

Harry turned to look over his shoulder at him with a smile. Harry was half surprised to notice that he genuinely wished that the Remus was able to come with them; that he wanted the world to know that this man was family to them now.

"We will," Harry promised, throwing the floo powder and following after his godfather and wife.

-#-

Sirius was waiting next to the fireplace in The Leaky Cauldron when Draco stepped through; a few people were glancing in their direction but no-one was making a scene, which was about as good as they could hope for.

It was only a few seconds before Harry and Orion appeared; Draco had been joking about catching him, but she and Sirius grabbed him by his arms when he looked rather unsteady the moment he stepped out of the fireplace.

"Thanks," Harry said with clear relief, once he was steady on his feet again.

"Well I prefer my son not getting squashed under his clumsy father," Draco told him in a hushed voice and with a roll of her eyes, as she removed the protective blanket from a still sleeping Orion.

"Me too, Love; me too," Harry agreed, carding his fingers through Orion's, now brown, hair affectionately.

In truth Harry was sure he would have been more than capable of catching himself well before any harm came to Orion, but that did nothing to dull his gratitude for the assistance.

"Gringott's?" Sirius suggested happily and the Potters followed his lead as he headed out of the pub into the courtyard; pointedly ignoring the increased number of heads that were turning their way since Harry had stepped through with a baby obviously strapped to his chest.

Sirius took the honour of tapping the bricks to open the archway and as the street revealed itself before them, they just watched with wide smiles on their faces  as the busy morning shoppers milled about.

"And isn't that a sight for sore eyes," Draco said in barely more than a whisper.

"You can say that again," Harry agreed.

"Well we could stand here all day admiring the view, or shall we actually do some shopping?" Sirius asked; though if he was honest with himself, he was enjoying the sight of witches and wizards going about their day-to-day business, as much as they were. Their summer had been lovely, but they had been so disconnected from the rest of the wizarding world.

"Gringott's first you said, yes?" Harry prompted; one hand gently resting against the back of Orion's head and offering the other to Draco, who took it and linked their fingers together.

"Well unless you have some other plan for how we are going to pay for things," Sirius teased with a playful grin.

With that they headed forward into the crowds, wondering how long it would be until a journalist or a nosey member of the public would appear with their intrusive questions.

-#-

Gringott's was quiet and they got money easily; though Draco seemed pretty down about having to use money from the Potter vaults.

"You _ARE_ a Potter," Sirius pointed out with a whisper in her ear, but that didn't seem to help much.

Harry decided he was going to nip that attitude in the bud though and took a firm grip on her arms to make sure she was looking him in the eyes; though their sleeping son between them made the whole thing somewhat less intense.

"Do I need to remind you of the bit of our wedding vows where I promised you everything that was mine?" he asked her.

Draco frowned; she remembered well enough but it still hurt that she had to rely on Harry for everything.

"Stop that!" he told her firmly; he could practically see the thoughts ticking over in her head. "The contents of the Potter vault are every bit yours, as much as they are mine." He waited, and watched her, trying to see if the message was hitting home.

"It just stings not being able to get things for myself," she told him.

"That is my point, Draco," Harry tried to explain, "you _CAN_! This money," he said, placing a bag of galleons in her hand, "and the rest of the contents of the vault ARE yours, you _CAN_ use it to buy yourself things."

Draco looked down at the weight in her hand; she didn't doubt Harry was genuine, but it was taking some getting her head around. It all still felt like Harry's money; she needed to learn to think about it as Potter money; she was entitled to it, Orion was entitled to it. They were family; this was their family’s money.

She looked up slowly, a small smile on her lips; it widened with a twitch at the corner of her mouth at the deadly serious expression her husband was wearing. She really loved the twit; he was a hopeless, reckless sap but he was hers and, Merlin help her, she really loved him.

"You get it now?" he asked, and she could hear the tone of amusement lurking in his voice.

She rolled her eyes, and glanced down at the money bag again; it was a good question. Money had always been a weapon, or a tool, when she was growing up; the Malfoys were powerful because of their name and their money and Draco had been raised knowing she would be powerful because she would inherit both.

Harry though... Harry saw it differently, to him the money was no weapon; he didn't want anything for it, he just wanted to share his life with her, he wanted to share _EVERYTHING_ with her and all he wanted in return was something she had already given him without even meaning to; he just wanted her to love him.

Maybe she did get it; she thought she did anyway and so she was smiling when she looked up at him. "I love you, you know," she told him, in hushed tones; glad they were still hidden in the depths of the bank.

The glare of the impatient goblin felt like it was slowly going to burn its way through the back of her head and the sensation was somewhat spoiling the moment; so resolving to show Harry how much she loved him later, she suggested that they move things along as they did still have things to purchase.

-#-

They made quick work of the apothecary, where Harry left the selection of the potion ingredients they would need to his wife; she was far more knowledgeable about such things after all. They didn't spend much longer in Scribbulus Writing Instruments; after all their years at Hogwarts it was not difficult to select the stationery that they would need for the upcoming year.

They had, of course, to visit Flourish and Blotts to purchase the required books for the classes they would be taking; Harry thought he recognised a couple of the other customers as Hogwarts students but the shop was thankfully on the quiet side.

"I'm going to see if I can find the book I need for Ancient Runes," Draco told Harry; squeezing his hand before heading in the direction of the back of the shop.

Sirius put a hand on Harry's arm, "I'll go keep an eye on her," he promised.

Harry nodded gratefully, "Maybe the two of you can find where they keep the copies of Advanced Potion Making, while you're at it," he suggested.

Sirius gave him a nod and followed Draco into the darker parts of the shop, where shelves of books towered all around them; likely held in place by magical spells of some kind, for surely gravity would have not permitted such precarious balance for long.

"Malfoys make pretty girls, it seems; I am sure you agree, Mr Potter."

Harry turned and took in the woman who had come to stand next to him. She appeared to be middle aged, in her forties if Harry was to guess, and had stiff blonde curls that sat strangely still on her head. Her spectacles sparkled tackily due to the embedded rhinestones and her makeup was thickly painted on; her face and hands rather masculine in comparison to her overly feminine voice and clothing. Harry's overall impression was that she looked rather fake and he was already not a fan.

"Can I help you with something?"  he asked snappishly, instinctively hiding Orion from view behind his hand.

"I was just hoping we could have a chat, Mr Potter," she simpered, flickering her eyelashes in a way he was sure was supposed to be attractive, even if it failed spectacularly.

"And you are...?" he demanded, taking a couple of steps away from the woman who was far too much into his personal space already; he wouldn't have liked her so close even if he hadn't been holding Orion.

"Oh how rude of me," she said, letting out a high pitched giggle, "Rita Skeeter, it is a _Pleasure_ to meet you."

Harry could hear the capitalisation of the word as she dragged it out, and it made him want to get as far away from her as he could. _Rita Skeeter_... Harry thought to himself, the name was familiar and not in a way that was going to endear the woman to him anymore than she was doing already.

Oh right... he remembered now, an ugly sneer forming on his face; this was the reporter who had written that sickening article about Draco, just after the accident. He wondered half-heartedly, for a moment, if he should thank the bitch; after all the article was the reason he had felt so bad for Draco, was the reason he had followed her out of the dining hall all that time ago. Perhaps they wouldn't be where they were now without the terrible things Skeeter had written in that paper; Harry, however, suspected they would have found their way eventually anyway and maybe they could have done it without the hurt that day had brought his now wife.

"Daily Prophet...?" he asked with a tone of disgust that made it clear exactly how he felt about that.

"Oh you say that like it's a bad thing," she said with another sickening giggle.

"It is," Draco said, having apparently returned with Sirius and a small pile of books.

"You're not welcome here," Sirius snarled, "leave us be."

"You forget yourself, Mr Black; surely you are aware that this is an open shop we are in," Rita pointed out, her fake smile showing off several gold teeth, "I have as much right to be here as you do; unless the lovely owner tells me otherwise."

"Fair enough, but that doesn't mean we have to talk to you, nor put up with your company," Draco said calmly, face expressionless and Harry was impressed by the strength she radiated despite her petite size; of course he knew better than most what a fireball his wife could be when riled up.

"I suppose that is true, Mrs Potter, but I simply hoped to ask you a couple of questions," Rita said.

"No," Draco said simply, heading for the till to pay for their books.

"Or maybe a glimpse or even a picture of your little one..." the reporter tried again.

"Definitely not!" Draco said, a flicker of anger breaking through.

Harry turned his back to Rita Skeeter and stepped between the reporter and his wife, making sure Orion was completely protected behind his body.

"We should leave," he whispered to Draco, who nodded.

"Go," Sirius told them, "I know what else to get."

The Potters looked unsure, they didn't want to leave him with the vulture of a woman; she could, after all, do as much harm to Sirius as she could to them. He was still an ex-prisoner from Azkaban and though his innocence had been proven there were those of the public who doubted it and it wouldn't take much to cause him problems.

"Go!" he insisted and the determination in his eyes was what persuaded them, "I will not be long," he promised.

And so it was that Harry and Draco made their way hurriedly back through the archway, back into the Leaky Cauldron and back to Grimmauld Place.


	32. Temper, Temper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 32. Chapter 33 turned out to be a nightmare to write, and has taken all week, but Chapter 34 took me less than 12 hours. I have also uploaded the improved versions of chapters 1 & 2, for those who are interested and will be uploading the improved chapter 3 either today or tomorrow.
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their help and guidance.

_ Previously: _

_The Potters looked unsure, they didn't want to leave him with the vulture of a woman; she could, after all, do as much harm to Sirius as she could to them. He was still an ex-prisoner from Azkaban and though his innocence had been proven there were those of the public who doubted it and it wouldn't take much to cause him problems._

_"Go!" he insisted and the determination in his eyes was what persuaded them, "I will not be long," he promised._

_And so it was that Harry and Draco made their way hurriedly back through the archway, back into the Leaky Cauldron and back to Grimmauld Place._

-#-

"Do you have a clue what is going on between Remus and Draco?" Sirius asked Harry, as they sat in the kitchen the evening after their trip to Diagon Alley.

Sirius had returned with the purchased books and a scowl on his face about ten minutes after the Potters; by which time Harry had already told Remus what had happened. Draco had spent the next several hours in a sulk; wandering around the house mumbling about reporters ruining people's lives and then had snapped at Remus, when he had tried to assure her that there was nothing that any reporter could say that would make Harry or Sirius change their opinion of her.

"No idea," Harry said with a thoughtful frown, "there has been this... tension between them for a little while and I'm concerned."

"No offence, but your wife is kind of bullying him," Sirius said quietly, looking around as though worried that Draco was about to walk into the room and over hear him.

Harry's frown deepened, "well... Remus seems to just be letting her," he said, sounding a bit annoyed.

"I never said he wasn't," Sirius said defensively, "but I am worried about them, both of them. I can't help but think that _something_ happened between them that neither of them is telling us."

Harry nodded, "I asked Draco but she said it was nothing."

"And you believe that?" Sirius asked.

Harry didn't know what to say to that and so said nothing as he took a sudden interest in a knot in the wood of the kitchen table. Sirius waited with a patience he had only really got to grips with in recent months.

"Not completely..." Harry admitted quietly a minute or so later. "Look, I know Remus is your friend," he went on, managing to look up and meet Sirius' eyes, "that he was my father's friend; but Draco is my wife, the mother of my son, and I love her..."

"Harry, I get it; no-one is going to ask you to choose between them," Sirius assured him, "because we all know that would be no competition at all," he added under his breath; though Harry still heard him and gave a wry smile at the truth of it, "but it is only a week till we go back to Hogwarts and we won't see Remus as much," Sirius pointed out.

"And you want to get this sorted before we go back..." Harry said with resigned understanding.

Sirius nodded, not really looking forward to the confrontation anymore than Harry was.

-#-

"Draco?" Harry said as he came into their bedroom and saw her sitting on the floor changing Orion's nappy.

"Yes, Harry?" She replied a bit snappishly.

 _Oh boy, this is going to be fun_ , Harry thought sarcastically to himself.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened with Remus earlier," he said, taking a seat on the floor next to Orion.

Draco finished fastening the nappy before she looked up at him with genuine confusion.

"When you snapped at him," Harry clarified, which just made Draco scowl.

"You mean when he was making unhelpful and patronising comments," she snarled.

Harry had to hold back a sigh at that, sure it would do nothing to improve Draco's mood at that moment.

"He was just being nice, Draco," he said firmly.

"Nice?" Draco said with obvious disbelief, "he was being patronising; as though I need him to tell me you and Sirius would leave me over what some reporter says."

Harry watched as he wife swept up their nearly three month old son, who giggled at the sudden motion, and began rocking him to try to get him to sleep.

"He wasn't patronising you, Draco, he was trying to be supportive," Harry insisted. "You do know that me and Sirius aren't going anywhere right?" he asked, it occurring to him that perhaps Draco's over reaction could be because Remus had said the very thing she had been worried about.

"Don't you start, Harry Potter," she snapped suddenly.

"Don't start what?" Harry asked, getting to his feet, "Draco, I just asked a question, a simple yes or no, would suffice."

"Yes, I know that," Draco said impatiently, "happy now?"

"Not really, because you are obviously pretty upset about something," Harry told her, "and I want to know what happened between you and Remus."

"Nothing..."

"It was obviously not nothing," Harry interrupted.

"It is none of your business," Draco said turning her back on his under the guise of walking around the room to calm Orion.

"None of my business?!" Harry said more loudly than he had intended.

 _Well so much for putting Orion down to sleep_ , Draco thought.

"Draco, I am just trying to help!" Harry said firmly, running a hand through his hair in obvious frustration.

"Help?" Draco asked, spinning around to face him; her own voice rising, as Orion began to let out small cries, "There is nothing that needs help; the werewolf just said one more stupid thing I didn't want to hear."

They froze. Draco realised a moment too late how Harry would hear that and Harry was just too surprised.

"I am not sure what to say to you right now," Harry said sadly, "Remus has been trying, really trying Draco; hell I think he actually likes you and I know he loves Orion and you still see him as just a werewolf?"

Harry turned to leave the room, he couldn't even look at her in that moment.

"Harry wait," Draco called out, resting their now crying son's head against her shoulder.

He did; he paused just short of the doorway and waited for her to speak without turning to face her.

"I didn't mean it like that," she said.

"What happened between you and Remus?" Harry asked again, still not turning around.

"He accused us of naming Orion after Sirius' father," Draco told him with clear reluctance.

Harry turned slowly and met her eyes, "Accused?" he asked, "What do you mean he accused us?"

"He wanted to know why we would name him after Sirius' father, when Sirius hated the man," Draco told him.

"So he just asked you a question?" Harry almost hissed at her in annoyance.

"Just a question?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Did you tell him that we didn't even know that that was Sirius' father's name?" He asked.

"Of course I did!"

"Did you tell him, or did you yell it at him?"

"Of course I yelled," Draco told him angrily, "I was upset. How could he even think for a second that we would name our son for someone Sirius hated?" she asked.

Harry frowned; he felt like he had been doing that all evening. He didn't have a good answer for her; why would Remus think that? But had Remus really deserved to be yelled at? He felt frustrated that Remus had gone to Draco with such a question; why couldn't he have come to him?

"Okay, but I am sure that was not..." Harry tried to placate her; in retrospect he knew that he probably should have known better.

"Oh, so you are going to defend him now?" she demanded, "We were fine before he showed up, we don't need him; he is just going to turn Sirius against us," she said angrily, though Harry was sure that was fear in her eyes.

"Yes, we were fine without him, and we will be with him here too," Harry promised, running his hand through his hair again, "and I am _NOT_ defending him.

Draco glared at her husband, "So when I tell you that I threw him out of the house, you will understand?" she asked daringly.

"You did WHAT?!" Harry asked in surprise; startlingly Orion who had just been starting to fall quiet again.

"Oh great job," Draco snapped, "You can get him to calm down this time," she insisted, handing Orion over. "And I said, I threw Remus out; I was hurt and angry, and I didn't want to see him for a while. I told him he could come back around dinner time," she said as though that made everything better.

Harry focused on bobbing up and down with their Son because otherwise he hated to think what he might regret yelling at Draco.

"Are you even going to say anything?" she demanded.

"Yes, fine; this _ISN'T_ your house, it isn't _MY_ house, it is _SIRIUS'S_ house and you had NO right to do that!" Harry ranted, "I get that you were hurt by what he said, I probably would have been too; actually I am a little hurt by it, but you can't just throw someone out like that."

Draco looked guilty for all of half a second before Harry saw her throw up every mental defence she had.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Draco!" Harry yelled, "STOP HIDING FROM ME!"

Orion cried harder, obviously upset by his father's loud voice but Draco just narrowed her eyes at him; and Harry realised it was the first time since they had really gotten together that he had actually shouted at her. He hated the way she was looking at him so blankly and he wanted to take it back and make her smile again, but he really hated that mask she defended herself with.

"Draco..."

"I will be in the library," she said coldly.

"Draco..." Harry called after her as she carefully side stepped him and headed down the corridor.

"Draco!" he tried again as he followed after her, but she ignored him, "Shit!" he whispered to himself and refocused on trying to calm Orion.

-#-

"Is everything okay?" Remus asked as Harry came into the kitchen with his mostly calmed son against his chest.

"Not really," he said bluntly, "why would you accuse Draco of naming Orion to hurt Sirius?"

Remus looked stunned at the anger that was turned his way; he hadn't really expected for Draco to actually tell her husband about that conversation so much later. Sirius, who was also in  the room making himself some tea, just looked baffled

"It wasn't quite like that," Remus said, indicating that Harry should take a seat across from him.

"What did you do?" Sirius asked his old friend.

"I forgot that Orion was your middle name, okay," Remus said quickly, feeling embarrassed and stupid about the whole thing.

"And you thought they named their son after my father?" Sirius asked with confusion, "That just doesn't make any kind of sense."

"Well I didn't think so either, and that is exactly why I asked her," Remus told them, "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just curious about why they called him Orion. Once she reminded me about your middle name," he said to Sirius, "I felt pretty stupid about the whole thing. I never meant to upset Draco."

"Well you did, but I am sorry she threw you out; she had no right to do that," Harry said sadly.

"I am just glad she let me come back," Remus admitted.

"Wait a minute, she threw you out?" Sirius demanded, "Out of _MY_ house?"

"Yes, and I have already told her that she had no right to do that," Harry told his Godfather.

"I am not upset at her; she is just acting out. I was the invader here; I came in and to her I was a threat to your family unity," Remus said sadly.

"Stop being such a push over!" Sirius told him insistently. "I honestly think you are too nice sometimes," he sighed.

Remus shrugged, "maybe, I just don't want to fight and for what it is worth, I am sorry this caused you and Draco to argue," he told Harry.

Harry sighed, and leaned back in his chair, Orion now fast asleep. The whole thing was a mess; Draco was mad at him and while he was kind of frustrated with Remus he did understand that the man hadn't meant to hurt anyone.

-#-

As if the mood in the house wasn't tense enough the arrival of the Daily Prophet was a bad start to the morning. They weren't really surprised by the article about the 'scandalous' young family that were seen shopping in Diagon Alley for school supplies, nor the implications that were thrown about saying that they shouldn't be allowed to return to Hogwarts.

It was the quote from Lucius Malfoy that really upset Draco and pissed Harry and Sirius off.

 ** _'That the guardianship of my poor, beautiful Grandson has been left to the care of two children and a former resident of Azkaban worries me every day,'_** the paper quoted.

"He has never even seen him," Draco pointed out, getting up suddenly without even touching her breakfast, "I don't want to see that paper in this house again," she said angrily, storming from the room, presumably to go back to reading in the library like she had the whole previous evening. She had come to bed, but it had been long after Harry had fallen asleep and he only knew because he woke before her.

"That man is a disgrace," Remus said sadly, "though I can speak no more highly of this Rita Skeeter woman; to imply that Harry and Draco are unfit parents...." he sighed.

"They can say whatever crap they like as long as I get to keep my son and they stop hurting my wife," Harry said in obvious frustration; he could kind of see where Draco was coming from when she had said that Remus' niceness could feel pretty patronising at times.

Remus would be going to Hogwarts for the full moon, that would be out that evening, and Harry felt guilty for hoping that his absence might ease the tension that filled their home. It was actually probably the last night that they would all be living together until Christmas, as it was unlikely that Remus would be recovered enough in the couple of days they had left before they had to leave to go to the school. Sure they would see him there sometimes, but it would be different and Harry was not sure whether that was a good thing or not.

He looked down at the paper that was sprawled on the table in front of him; glaring at the picture that was obviously taken at a distance and showed Draco and him talking as they walked along the street, Orion thankfully hidden from view.

 ** _'...letting in students who have shown such poor moral judgement can only reflect badly on the institution and set an example for the other students, allowing them to think that such conduct is acceptable...'_** he read, before he had decided that he seen enough, casting _incendio_ on the parchment.

Sirius let out a rather alarmed yelping noise as the copy of the Daily Prophet went up in flames and was thankful when Remus cast a spell that extinguished them quickly.

"Draco is right," Harry said firmly, "I don't ever want to see that paper near my family again."

And with that he stormed from the room with the intention of checking on Orion who was upstairs, hopefully still asleep, in his bassinette.

-#-

Harry was fed up and stressed; he was upset, and starting to get annoyed, that Draco was still sulking in the library and agitated by that horrible article that he knew people all over the country would be reading.

Molly had come over, when Sirius and Remus had headed off to Hogwarts. She had given him a hug and asked him what was wrong; that was enough to have him in tears and telling her about the last few days. She listened patiently and the offered comfort over a hot cup of tea with freshly baked biscuits. Harry hadn't realised how tense he had been feeling until he just let it all out.

He must have fallen asleep because he woke on the sofa covered with a thin blanket; a glass of juice and a freshly made sandwich, presumably under a preservation charm of some kind, on the table next to him. He greedily ate them down, realising he hadn't barely eaten all day, before he went off in search of Draco, Molly and Orion.

He actually found all three of them in the library. He hadn't felt much like smiling since that reporter had cornered him in the book shop but he smiled then. Draco was sat on the floor with Orion propped up on her knees, Molly reading some children's book to them.

He allowed himself a moment to really take in how beautiful his petite wife was; her hair hung perfectly straight just past her shoulders; her face was angular, sharp and slender, but it just made her striking and suited her almost fragile looking build. It was deceptive though, he knew; he couldn't think of Draco as fragile even in the hardest moments of her life.

"Sleep well, Harry?" Molly asked, noticing him and looking up with a smile, breaking him from his reverie.

Harry nodded. "Can I join you?" he asked Draco.

She didn't look completely happy about it but nodded her agreement none the less. Harry grinned and quickly took a seat on the floor leaning against one of the sofas. Molly gave him an approving smile and went on reading.

-#-

Draco still hadn't completely forgiven Harry for yelling at her and though she was talking to him again, it was without all of the affection he was used to; he hadn't completely forgiven her for throwing Remus out either, but he missed her enough that he was more than willing to let it go. It was however, rather strangely, a letter from the ministry that really made them into a united front once more.

"There's a letter for you," Molly told them as they came into the kitchen; nodding her head towards the folded parchment that was in the middle of the table whilst finishing off making breakfast.

"Me?" Harry asked.

"Both of you," she corrected, levitating cups of tea over.

Draco took a seat by one of the cups and reached out for the letter; turning it over and narrowing her gaze at the familiar seal there. She held it up for Harry to see before she pulled it open.

" _To Mr and Mrs Potter_ ," Draco read out-loud, " _As per the Ministry decree, with regards to Orion James Potter's guardianship, a Ministry appointed inspector attempted to pay a visit to your listed residence on 27th August but was unable to notify you of his presence; as such your quarterly inspection is now overdue..."_

"That's nonsense! The last one didn't happen until mid-June," Harry interrupted, "surely it isn't _'overdue'_ until mid-September."

"Well at least we can be sure that the charms and wards on the house are working," Molly pointed out.

"Agreed, can you imagine if they had visited and they had found a werewolf living with us?" Draco said with the most open expression on her face Harry had seen in days; he would have been glad for it if it hadn't been showing fear.

"I am sure Remus would have been able to make a discreet exit, but I see your point," Harry admitted, really not wanting to get into another fight. "What does the rest of the letter say?"

" _Please send a response by return letter to arrange a suitable time when we may organise a visit your place of residence,"_ Draco read on. "Are we going to let them come here?" she asked.

"I'm not sure; I mean, Molly is here and it would be good for her to be seen taking care of Orion too, but I am worried that without someone with some clout like Dumbledore they will try to make everything against us again," Harry told her.

Draco nodded, the concerns were much the same as her own; she had been worried they would try to force a home visit after Harry and Draco had had Dumbledore present for the duration of the previous one.

"Why don't you just ask Dumbledore to come visit for the day tomorrow," Molly suggested, putting plates of eggs and toast in front of each of them, "and ask him to bring the inspector through himself; you will need someone to bring the man through the wards if you aren't planning on letting him past permanently."

"You think he will agree to that?" Draco asked.

Harry grinned widely and nodded with enthusiasm, "I am sure he will," he assured her.

"I will go floo call him now," Molly told them, as she got up and headed out of the room.

"Kreacher!" Draco called, and waited the few seconds it took for the elf to appear. "Fetch me parchment and a quill," she ordered.

"Yes, Mistress," the elf said with a deep bow, vanishing with a pop only to appear again a moment later with the requested items. "Parchment and quill," he said as he held them out.

"And what use is this quill, you brought me no ink!" Draco snapped impatiently.

"Mistress did not be asking for ink. " Kreacher told her with a smug attempt at a smile, "Would Mistress Potter be wanting Kreacher to be fetching ink?"

"Yes, at once," Draco ordered. "I really hate that elf," she said as he disappeared once again.

"Ink, as requested," Kreacher said, holding out the ink well for Draco to take, "Will Mistress be wanting anythings else from Kreacher?"

"No," Draco said absently, her focus already on the letter she was about to write.

 ** _'To Madam Coram,'_** Draco wrote, **_'I am writing with regards to a recent letter that my husband and I received this morning, which indicated that a Ministry Inspector was unable to gain access to our home on 27th August; the protective wards and charms we have in place to ensure the safety of our family were the reason for this.'_**

Harry peered over her shoulder, "Looks good so far," he told her; do you think we could ask for her personally? You know, on the grounds of trusting her to maintain our family's safety," Harry suggested.

"Couldn't hurt to ask, I suppose," Draco agreed with a shrug.

**_'Should the ministry feel it is important to conduct an inspection in our home, we humbly request that the inspection be completed by yourself, as we would feel uncomfortable permitting anyone else past our wards.'_ **

Harry nodded at Draco's questioning look.

"Dumbledore said he would be delighted to come visit," Molly told them as she came back into the room, "he suggested he could be at the Ministry for ten a.m."

"Excellent," Harry said.

 ** _'If you are amenable, Headmaster Dumbledore will meet you in your office at 10a.m. tomorrow and escort you to our home_**. ** _'_**

"In her office?" Harry asked.

"Well we hardly need for Dumbledore to be seen meeting the head of child services in the atrium," Draco told him a little impatiently, "I think they would figure out in was in relation to us fairly quickly and I don't know about you but I have think we have had enough of our lives in the Daily Prophet for one week."

Harry sighed. "You're right, of course," he told her.

Draco reached out and took Harry's hand; the action made him jump; it was the most physical contact that his wife had initiated in days. She squeezed it and gave him a smile; and curse it all if that wasn't the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

"I missed seeing you smile," Harry told her quietly.

"You're such a sap," she said, but she was still smiling so Harry was going to assume she was just teasing.

"I will go check on Orion," Molly said quickly.

Draco rolled her eyes and Harry chuckled; Molly had many talents but subtle exits were not exactly one of them.

"Are we okay, Love?" Harry asked nervously, they had been slowly getting passed their fight and talking about it directly was definitely a gamble.

Draco sipped her tea to buy herself a few seconds of time. She wasn't even really that mad at him; she had been surprised and upset that Harry would shout at her like that, and it brought up every worry she had had since day one that he would get fed up and leave one day.

"We're more than okay," she said, eyes focused on the table, "just..."

"No more yelling," Harry promised, "at least not without a very good reason.”

Draco chuckled, "Well I will try not to give you a reason then."

"And no more picking on Remus," he insisted, reaching out and putting a hand on her chin to turn her head till their eyes met.

"I still don't feel completely comfortable with him here," Draco admitted.

"I know," Harry told her, "I hope in time that will pass, but Sirius needs Remus around and after everything that man has done for us... I think the least we can do is make his best friend feel at home."

When put like that Draco felt selfish; sure she was protecting her baby son but Sirius was the closest thing to a parent she had left and she had nearly pushed away his one true remaining life-long friend.

"You're so right; Merlin, I'm an idiot," she said sadly.

Harry caught the single escaped tear as it rolled across her cheek, "not an idiot, just a protective Mother," he corrected.

Draco smiled at that. "I am glad we're okay," she told him.

"Better than," Harry said with a grin, leaning forward and pulling his wife into the first kiss they had had in days.


	33. Madam Coram

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 33. Well progress has been a little slow this week, mostly because I have focused on getting Erotes' new chapter sorted and ready to be uploaded (which will hopefully be in the next day or so). But chapter 34 is ready to go so we have no worries about next week's update.
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek for all their help and guidance.

_ Previously: _

_"You're so right; Merlin, I'm an idiot," she said sadly._

_Harry caught the single escaped tear as it rolled across her cheek, "not an idiot, just a protective Mother," he corrected._

_Draco smiled at that. "I am glad we're okay," she told him._

_"Better than," Harry said with a grin, leaning forward and pulling his wife into the first kiss they had had in days._

-#-

"Madam Coram," Dumbledore said, greeting the witch with a warm smile as he got up from the seat in which he had been asked to wait, as the petite, brunette, head-of-department came out of her office.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, it is good to see you again," she said; reaching out a hand to shake his, which the older man quickly accepted.

She had been quietly glad that the Potters had requested her personally, and invited Dumbledore along. She had been unable to fight the impression that there were some in her department that were not being completely above board, particularly where the young couple and their infant son were concerned; Mr Blishwick, their appointed inspector, included.

 _Such a 'terrible shame' that the man had been sent out on another visit today_ , she thought sarcastically to herself.

Dumbledore had spoken with Harry and Draco the evening before and they had agreed that it would be okay to let the woman through the Fidelius Charm on the house. There wasn’t really any other way to get her into the house and at least that way they could argue that it would always have to be her who completed any home visits; something that the family thought would be for the best.

"Perhaps we can take a walk?” Dumbledore suggested politely. “It would probably best if I apparated us both."

She nodded her consent and tried to keep pace with the Headmaster's long strides as he led them from the department. They got a few questioning and suspicious looks; but thankfully there were very few people around. Dumbledore lead them through the Ministry corridors to the closest exit, which would allow them back up onto the London streets above and from there they were able to walk the few minutes to an approved apparition point.

"Madam Coram," Dumbledore said, holding out his arm for her to take.

She did so willingly and felt the familiar and rather unpleasant pressing sensation of apparition.

-#-

As the quiet street, in muggle London, formed around them, Dumbledore handed the head of child services a piece of parchment. She unfolded it carefully and read the simple few words written there.

 ** _'12 Grimmauld Place'_**.

"Just keep that in mind," Dumbledore instructed her, when she looked up at him curiously.

Madam Coram turned back to the somewhat depressing row of houses and took note of number eleven, and then frowned as she took in its neighbour, number thirteen. She had barely a moment to mentally form the question about where number twelve was, before the magic kicked in. She almost jumped out of her skin when the buildings appeared to shift and another house started to form between them, as though it was elbowing its way out from between the other two; the residents, who she could see through the windows, seemed oblivious.

 _The Fidelius Charm_ , she thought in amazement; she hadn't believed it was something she would get a chance to see or experience in her lifetime. It was, after all, no small feat to hide a house, even for wizards.

She was sure she had never had to work around such a level of precaution when visiting a family before, but this was no ordinary family. She had to keep in mind that Orion had two high profile parents and was born in rather unusual circumstances; the public was, unsurprisingly, curious, as demonstrated by the article in the Daily Prophet a few days earlier, and therefore the extra precautions seemed understandable; advisable even, in her opinion.

"Shall we?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle of amusement and a gesture towards to newly revealed house.

Madam Coram nodded again. She followed him as he headed up the steps to the black-painted front door; apparently they were right on time, as Molly Weasley was already there waiting to let them inside.

Her first impression was that the place had a heavy feel to it and looked as though someone had tried to brighten it up in a hurry. There was apparently nothing to be done with the dinginess of the hallway though; which, despite the pale paint, numerous gas lamps on the walls and old fashioned chandelier overhead, was still oppressive and grim. It was an impression that was only reiterated by the heavy curtains that looked as though they might have been a remnant from before the house's makeover.

"Not everything in the house was willing to be removed," Dumbledore explained, in his usual less than informative manner, from behind her; apparently having caught the direction of her stare.

She smiled at him over her shoulder and followed Mrs Weasley into the kitchen. It was located at the back of the house and bigger than she would have expected; the space dominated by a large wooden table where Harry and Draco were currently sitting.

"Madam Coram," Draco greeted with a rather forced smile; getting to her feet quickly and rushing around the room, shaking the head the department's hand to welcome her into their home. The blonde looked taller than she had remembered, but that was probably because Draco was no longer heavy with child; though she did think that the girl looked more comfortable in her own skin too.

"It is good to see you again, Draco," the kindly middle-aged lady told her, "MayI call you Draco?" she asked quickly.

Draco smiled at Madam Coram's enthusiasm and nodded; turning to Dumbledore. "Welcome back, Sir."

"Thank you, Draco; Harry," the Headmaster said, with a nod towards the young man who was sitting feeding Orion a bottle at the table.

"Let me just finish feeding this young man and then we can move into the other room," Harry told them apologetically, indicating the half empty bottle in his son's greedily sucking mouth.

"No, please; take your time," Madam Coram reassured, "perhaps we can have some tea and chat?" she suggested.

"Of course," Molly said, bustling around at the stove with the kettle, instructing Kreacher to fetch several mugs; and though the elf grumbled, he complied readily enough.

While the Weasley matriarch went about preparing their tea, Madam Coram and Dumbledore made themselves at home, taking seats opposite Harry. Draco sat back down next to her husband and ran fingers gently through Orion's short hair. The three month old shifted his gaze to look up at his mother but didn’t let that slow his consumption of his meal.

Their guest had been working in child services for a great many years and she prided herself on being able to distinguish moments of true familial affection from the numerous troublingly fake ones which she had sadly seen too many of over her career. She had no doubts about the truth of the moment before her and was pleased that her faith in the young couple did not seem misplaced; it truly was lovely to get to see them, in their home, with their son.

"Here you go," Molly said; pulling Madam Coram from her thoughts and handing her a cup of tea; before placing cups in front of the rest of them and adding a jug of milk and bowl of sugar to the table.

"Thank you," she said, as the red-headed woman sat down on Harry's other side. She added a single spoonful of sugar and a drop of milk before she worked out where to start.

"Firstly, because I think that no one has thought to ask you this yet: is there is any support which you feel you are missing?" Madam Coram asked.

Draco looked rather taken aback by the question and froze part way through picking up the milk jug; it was in such a complete contrast with the time they had spent with Blishwick and therefore had caught her off guard. Harry however just seemed pleased to have been asked and glanced up at the woman, with a smile.

"We are good thanks; with Sirius and Molly's help, we have been able to manage a lot more easily that I ever thought we would," he told her proudly.

"I am glad to hear that." Madam Coram said with a small incline of her head, before furrowing her forehead in thought, "Though it does beg the question; where is Mr Black today?"

"Oh, he spends the full moons supporting a dear friend, who happens to be a werewolf," Dumbledore explained.

"I see," Madam Coram said, with obvious surprise, "I was not aware that a lot could be done to help werewolves at the full moon. Surely he doesn't stay with his friend when transformed?" she asked with obvious fear.

"I assure you that Sirius is completely safe; he has been helping with these transformations for decades," Dumbledore tried to reassure her, “and far more experienced with such matters than even I sometimes remember.”

The head of child services nodded, but it was clear to all of them that she was less than convinced; given however that it should have no impact of Orion’s quality of care, it was truly no business of hers.

"I move in for the few days he is absent; just to make sure that they have someone here if they want any help," Molly explained in an attempt to move the conversation back into safer territory. "Though these two are so proficient with taking care of Orion that I struggle to feel needed," she teased, with a wink at the Potters.

Harry flushed at that but Draco smirked. "Well, I promise I will never stop you, should you happen to get the uncontrollable urge to change or clean Orion," she told her.

Molly chuckled and sipped her tea. Harry placed the now empty baby bottle on the table and shifted Orion up to his shoulder; burping him effectively before starting to bounce and rock him gently in an attempt to persuade the small boy to sleep.

"How about the article which was published?" Madam Coram asked, sipping at her tea casually as she watched for their reactions.

Harry stared at her with wide eyes and it looked as though Dumbledore and Molly were watching the couple as closely as she was; Draco, however, looked livid.

"That was hardly _our_ fault; what are we supposed to keep that dreadful reporter from writing whatever takes her fancy?" the blond demanded in a sudden burst of anger. "Unless you are going to tell me that you would have condoned us bribing her or something," she added bitterly; knowing full well that that is exactly what Lucius Malfoy would have deemed an appropriate course of action, and then almost instantly chastising herself silently, for having let herself even think of that man.

"No, no. You miss understand me," Madam Coram said hastily; putting her tea down and reaching across the table top to place her hand on Draco's. "I was not blaming you or suggesting there was anything you could have done to avoid it; I was asking if you wanted assistance in preventing such things from occurring again," the department head explained.

"How would you do that?" Harry asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes; suddenly extremely interested in what the woman had to say.

"Orion, though in your care, is still a ward of the ministry until his first birthday," she explained, "as such we can issue a protection order; one that would make publishing any articles or information regarding your son a crime."

Draco was also looking hopeful by this point and Molly seemed nothing short of delighted; and yet Dumbledore looked just mildly curious and Madam Coram had to resist rolling her eyes, as suspected that he simply didn't want to admit to not having known this.

"They will still be able to publish information about you and Harry, of course," Madam Coram went on, "there is nothing I can do about that I am afraid, but I imagine with the restrictions around Orion, it would be..."

"Oh, they can say what they like about us," Harry interrupted. "Well, I mean, sure we won't like it, but it was the things they were saying about Orion that were really bothering us," he clarified.

Madam Coram smiled at him fondly and then dug into the small bag she had placed by her feet; she pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment, onto which she began to write. They watched on in silence, apart from the occasional clink of china as someone took a sip of tea and it was maybe five minutes before she was apparently finished; sliding the newly created document across the table.

"If you and Harry will just sign at the bottom," she instructed, "and perhaps it would be best if you signed too, Mrs Weasley."

"Please, call me Molly," the Weasley matriarch insisted as she leaned closer to Harry to be able to read the piece of parchment.

"And this will mean they are no longer able to publish anything about Orion?" Draco asked, once she was done reading.

Madam Coram nodded, "not without your express permission, in writing," she told them; handing over her quill when Draco eagerly held out a hand for it.

The blonde wasted no time signing; nor taking Orion, so that Harry could sign just a moment later. Molly's signature, less than a minute later, completed the document.

"It's really as simple as that?" Harry asked, still sceptical that this woman could solve this particular problem so easily.

"Well, it still has to receive approval; and for notifications to be sent to all wizarding publications," she explained, folding up the parchment and returning it to her bag. "That will likely take a few days, but I will submit it after I leave here and I will request that a notification is sent to you as well, so that you can see the details of it."

“Thank you,” Harry said earnestly. “I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you being so... helpful?”

Madam Coram frowned at that. “Because Orion is an innocent child, who deserves the best possible start in life; and in my book that means with his obviously loving parents,” she told them seriously.

“Blishwick didn’t exactly share that sentiment,” Draco mumbled grumpily.

“Most people in my department are under the impression that the pair of you are spoilt rich kids, who failed to keep their lustful urges in check,” Madam Coram said bluntly.

Harry and Draco both flushed red.

“I have tried to correct that, of course; but without revealing personal information about Draco, that is simply nobody’s business, there is very little I can do,” the department head explained, and she sounded sincerely apologetic.

“I doubt it would help much, even if you did explain,” Draco said sadly.

Madam Coram nodded her head in agreement, “I suspect you are correct, but we should not dwell on such matters given they are beyond our control; perhaps you can tell me a bit about how Orion is developing?”

A huge proud grin formed on Draco’s face as she started telling the woman about how Orion could laugh and followed them around rooms with his eyes; about how he would grab and hold things. Bragging about her baby son was something Draco had no trouble doing.

-#-

They were pleasantly surprised by how easy the second inspection went; particularly given how emotionally stressful the first one had been. Madam Coram had asked lots of questions, watched how they handled Orion and generally observed as they went about their daily activities. She had weighed and measured their little boy, declaring him slightly small but perfectly healthy and then proceeded to spend nearly half an hour playing with him; Orion lying on the floor letting out huffy giggles as he grabbing at a rattle she was holding.

Madam Coram agreed to stay for dinner, which Kreacher had been glad to be allowed to put together by himself without ‘the meddling blood-traitor woman’; a name for Molly that Draco instructed the troublesome elf never to use again. So it was gone eight in the evening by the time that the department head bid them goodnight and thanked them for their time and patience.

“Well that was a pleasant surprise,” Harry whispered against Draco’s hair, as Molly shut the door behind Madam Coram and Dumbledore.

“It was,” Draco agreed, “perhaps we need to feed Orion more often though, if he is small for his age,” she suggested, worrying her lip.

“Draco, love, he is fine; it isn’t like I am particularly tall and, let’s be honest, you are tiny,” Harry teased with a wink. “She said he is healthy, that is what matters,” he reassured her.

“Okay, fine,” Draco admitted, “you know I can’t help but be anxious, he means the world to me.”

“I know, love,” Harry said, pulling Draco into a hug against his chest; her arms wrapping around him.

“How do you not worry about him?” she asked quietly, tucking her head under Harry’s chin.

Harry chuckled, “I do worry; I am constantly terrified that the ministry is going to sweep in and take him away, fretting that he might get sick or dreading him getting hurt. I worry that he will need us but we will be too tired to be woken by his cries. But then he smiles or laughs, or even wails loudly, and I remind myself that we both love him with all our hearts and will do everything we can to protect him.”

Draco let out a peaceful sigh and snuggled against Harry’s chest. “Take me to bed, husband,” she instructed.

“With pleasure,” Harry whispered.

Draco squealed with surprised laughter as Harry suddenly swept her up into his arms,bridal style.

“Harry...!” she laughed; Draco thought she should probably be object to being manhandled in such a manner but it was difficult to do when so amused.

Molly was in the front room and smiled at hearing the young couple so happy and carefree; she was so proud of them. “I’ll keep an eye on Orion,” she called out to them.

“Thanks, Molly!” they chorused.

“Put me down, you great oaf!” Draco ordered, playfully punching Harry’s shoulder.

“Ouch...” Harry said with a huge grin on his face, as he started to carry her upstairs, “I thought you said you wanted me to take you to bed.”

“I didn’t mean quite so literally.”

“But me big strong man!” Harry teased in a falsely deep gruff voice, “You tiny wife.”

“You are such a Gryffindor brute! Why did I marry you again?” she asked rhetorically.

Harry’s face fell slightly; Draco had just been teasing, but perhaps it was too soon to joke about the marriage they had had very little choice in; perhaps it always would be. Draco wriggled her way out of his arms as they reached the hallway outside of their room, putting both hands on his cheeks to make him look at her.

“Are we ever going to be able to joke about that?” she asked him.

“Maybe,” Harry said quietly, with a shrug. “I just hate the idea that you _had_ to marry me; it was all my fault,” he said, sounding defeated.

“Harry James Potter! Firstly, it is _not_ all your fault; fifty percent my fault, remember?” she demanded and waiting until he nodded slightly. “Good. And secondly, I do NOT regret marrying you.”

Harry smiled a little at that.

“I would marry you again today, or tomorrow, or whenever,” Draco told him sternly.

“Draco...?”

“Yes, Harry.”

“Will you marry me?” he asked with a playful smile.

“You prat,” Draco chastised, punching his arm again, “I am already married to you; I can’t actually marry you again.”

“Ah, but you would if you could?” Harry asked.

Draco rolled her eyes, “Yes, Harry, I would marry you again if I could,” she told him, shaking her head at his silliness. “For future reference though, should you feel the need to propose to me again: that one was worse than the first.”

“Oh, well now I am going to have to try again some time,” he said, as she took him by the hand and led them into their bedroom.

“Yes, you could do that, but right now there are other things I want your attention on,” Draco said with a smirk.

“I can think about more than one thing at once,” Harry insisted.

“So you’re telling me that you often think about other things while in bed with me?” Draco challenged with a single eyebrow arched in question.

“What...? Wait, No! I never said that,” Harry said, defending himself.

Draco tipped her head back and laughed. It was a beautiful sight, the pure joy in her expression, and Harry was so turned on; he took the couple of steps to reach her and swiftly met her lips in a dominating kiss.

She was momentarily surprised but moaned in pleasure at the power and possessiveness she could feel radiating from her husband.

“Merlin....” she gasped breathlessly, when he moved his lips to nibble along her jaw, “Harry, please...”

He chuckled deeply and the rumbling sound sent wonderful little tingles down her spine. It had been too long; between the discomfort she had felt since the birth and almost all their time being spent either taking care of their son or else sleeping, their sex life was all but non-existent. Something Draco was very keen to do something about.

She stepped back, Harry automatically following her, until the back of her legs collided with their bed. Her husband was apparently as eager as she was and had already managed to start removing her top; her own hands already fumbling with the trousers he was wearing.

“Too... much... clothing...” Harry breathed against her neck.

Draco nodded in agreement and still had just enough sense to throw up a silencing charm before they got too distracted. Thankfully it only took them a few short minutes to have rid them of the pesky fabric that was getting in their way; despite the distracting kisses. Completely naked, Draco shifted onto the bed, her equally undressed husband crawling after her with a look in his eye like a starved predator.

“I need you,” he told her; his voice gruff and something close to a growl.

“Yes, just hurry up and touch me already,” Draco said impatiently.

Harry was on his hands and knees, leaning over her; his leer becoming more a smug grin at her words. He trailed a hand down her side, just brushing the side of her breast and tracing small circles on her hip.

“Harry...” Draco complained half heartedly.

“Shush, love,” he said, placing a delicate kiss on the corner of her lips, “just trust me.”

She did; Draco trusted Harry completely, but that didn’t mean she was in the mood for one of his teasing sessions. He was moving down her naked chest, exploring her with kisses and tiny nips of his teeth; his firm hand on her inner thigh encouraged her legs apart and let his ministrations move to her already wet opening.

His tongue flicked out, as though to taste her and as his fingers brushed harshly over her clit she let out a startled yelp that made him take a little more care; he slid his thumb inside her and used her own slickness on the little sensitive nub. Draco’s breathing was erratic and she let out a contented sigh of pleasure as he pushed two fingers inside her.

“Harry,” she said breathlessly, her slender fingers toying with his hair as he used her lips on her. It wasn’t often he did this, but that just made it all the more intense when he did.

Her thoughts were becoming hazy and her body flushed; it was only the firm grip that his free hand had on one her thighs that was keeping her from crushing his head between them. His fingers were thrusting in and out of her, his thumb brushing against her hard little nub, as he used his mouth to suck and lap at her greedily.

Draco managed to open her eyes long enough to glance down at his and came instantly at the sight of the almost glowing green eyes that met hers. She cried out her pleasure, her body spasming uncontrollably as her husband gently stroked her opening with his tongue.

She was still trying to remember how to breathe when she realised he had moved back up her body and that his lips were on hers once more; Draco opened her mouth and let him kiss her powerfully. She could feel his hard length pressing against her tight and that just aroused her even more.

Draco broke the kiss and met his eyes, “I want you,” she told him, her eyes burning into his.

“Are you...?”

“Yes!” she said firmly before Harry could ask any more stupid questions, such as if she was sure.

It seemed he didn’t need to be told twice because it was with a swift and easy movement that he pushed inside her. It was what they both needed as he thrust into her and it was obvious that neither of them could last long.

“I love you so much,” Harry whispered in her ear; his hand sliding around her and resting on her lower back, pressing them more tightly together.

Draco, however, wasn’t able to do much more than let out little delighted, but somewhat pitiful, moans and whimpers as the sensations drove almost all thoughts from her mind, or at least the ability for coherent speech. Their hips rolled in sync; the rhythm sending spikes of pleasure through both their bodies, building the intense heat that was coiling in their bellies and groins until it threatened to boil over.

“Come for me, Love,” Harry instructed and Draco heard him well enough to obey; her body shuddering and clenching around him as they both tumbled over into intense bliss together.


	34. Travel Troubles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 34. I mistakenly thought I had chapter 35 ready to go as well as this one, but I have been so focused on Erotes that I lost track. I will be spending the next couple of days working on it though, so I am extremely confident it will be ready it plenty of time for next week. I am however actually going out of town, and my access to the internet might be less reliable, so I am not certain when I will be able to update, but I will do my best to make it happen at least close to the usual time.
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my brilliant beta, AchillesTheGeek.

_ Previously: _

_“I love you so much,” Harry whispered in her ear; his hand sliding around her and resting on her lower back, pressing them more tightly together._

_Draco, however, wasn’t able to do much more than let out little delighted, but somewhat pitiful, moans and whimpers as the sensations drove almost all thoughts from her mind, or at least the ability for coherent speech. Their hips rolled in sync; the rhythm sending spikes of pleasure through both their bodies_ _,_ _building the intense heat that was coiling in their bellies and groins until it threatened to boil over._

_“Come for me, Love,” Harry instructed and Draco heard him well enough to obey; her body shuddering and clenching around him as they both tumbled over into intense bliss together._

-#-

“...but it takes ALL DAY!” Draco shouted at her husband as he carried on walking away from her down the stairs.

She had assumed that they would return to Hogwarts the way they had left, by using the floo network; they had been given confirmation from Headmaster Dumbledore that they would be able to floo directly into their rooms from the previous year. So when Harry suggested they take the train from London, it was completely unexpected and Draco was not keen on the idea one bit.

He looked back over his shoulder and saw that she was storming down the stairs after him; he wasn’t really quite sure why she was reacting so badly to the idea. “But our friends will be there and we will get to catch up with everyone and...”

“And we will have to take care of our _THREE MONTH_ old son!” she interrupted loudly as she followed him into the library.

“You mean the baby you are about to wake up with your yelling?” Harry asked calmly as he started to gather various texts from around the room. He had said it partly because he hated her shouting at him, but in truth mostly because he really didn’t want Orion, who they had just gotten to fall asleep, to be disturbed.

“Fine, sorry,” she said more quietly, though none of the fire from her tone had faded. “But do you really think that spending that long on a busy train with Orion is a good idea?”

Harry paused in his quest to find all the books they would need and turned to look at her, noticing how bright and intense her eyes were. Admittedly she had a point; a full day’s worth of nappy changes, feedings and crying, all whilst on a train, would not be ideal.

“I just want us to be normal for once, love,” he told Draco; taking a few steps closer to her and reaching out to put his hands on her arms.

“Nuh uh...” Draco said; crossing her arms in front of her, shaking her head and taking a step back. “Perhaps you should have thought of that _BEFORE_ we slept together; _BEFORE_ we had a son; _BEFORE_ we got married!” she said with increasing fervour. “Perhaps it is _YOU_ who feels like you were forced into marrying _ME_?” she questioned with narrowed eyes and a far too calm expression that he was sure was faked.

Harry, however, just looked more than tad stunned that she would turn his own fears and anxieties around on him like that; particularly ones which he had only told her the day before. He didn’t regret marrying her one bit but sometimes he really hated how vicious she could be with her words; how she always knew exactly what buttons to push to make him hurt.

“Nothing to say?!” she snapped, before he had had a chance to get over his shock. “Fine, then! Go spend the day with your stupid friends,” she told him bitterly, “I _AM_ going to use the floo and Orion is coming with me.”

“Draco...” Harry said softly, hoping to placate his clearly pissed off wife.

“And seeing as how I will be taking responsibility for getting your son to Hogwarts safely,” she ploughed on, “I will let you ensure that _ALL_ our belongings get there,” she told him in a tone that made it sound like he should be thanking her for the privilege and silently daring him to challenge her on it.

“Oh... right... yeah, I can do that,” Harry said, struggling to know what to say; before he had time to work it out, Draco had stormed out of  the room. “What in Merlin’s name just happened?” he mumbled to himself, staring at the spot where his beautiful, petite, firecracker of a wife had been standing just moments earlier.

-#-

“Draco...?” Molly said softly.

The Weasley matriarch had been sitting in the front room, knitting a pair of booties for Orion when the small blonde practically flew into the front room in a whirlwind of movement. The girl seemed to be gathering up various things and throwing them into a bag; this wasn’t so strange given that she and Harry were currently in the process of packing to return to Hogwarts the next day, but the obvious anger with which she was doing it worried Molly greatly.

“Draco, dear, what happened?” Molly asked, when the blonde didn’t respond.

“Harry, happened, of course,” Draco told her, but didn’t stop with her erratic packing. “He has apparently decided that being _normal_ and catching up with his _friends_ are more important than me and Orion.”

 Molly frowned, that really didn’t sound like Harry at all. She knew he didn’t like to stand out or have attention drawn to him, but Draco and Orion were his world; everyone who had seen Harry with them could see that.

“What in Merlin’s name did he say?” Molly asked curiously, sure there must be more to the story, “Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand?”

That was definitely the wrong thing to say, she decided, as Draco turned an annoyed stare in her direction but said nothing; before returning to her packing. Apparently having gotten everything she thought she needed, Draco was gone from the room as quickly, and as angrily, as she had arrived.

-#-

“I thought you wanted me to sort everything?” Harry asked Draco in confusion, as he came into their bedroom with a large stack of books to add to one of their trunks.

“I am just sorting enough clothes and supplies for tonight,” she told him coldly.

“Tonight?” Harry asked in a mixture of confusion and alarm; since the day they had gotten married they had not spent a night apart.

“Yes, I decided I am taking Orion to Hogwarts tonight,” she told him.

Harry’s breathing was becoming heavy as panic began to sink in; not only was Draco planning to spend the night away from him, but she was going to go to Hogwarts without him and taking their baby son with her.

“Please, love,” Harry begged, dropping the pile of books onto their bed without caring when the pile scattered them across the covers, “I don’t want you to go without me.”

“Well if you had cared so much about coming to school with me and Orion, then perhaps you shouldn’t have been so worried about that train ride with your friends; but I am sure you will have a great time pretending it’s like the good old days,” she added with a mocking sneer.

“Draco, please,” he said again, dropping to his knees and clasping his hands together in prayer, “you are right about the floo, I should have listened to you, I’m sorry...”

“Excellent I am glad you learned your lesson,” she said smugly, crossing her arms over her chest again.

“So you will stay tonight?” he asked hopefully.

“What? No, of course not,” she said, a victorious look in her eye at Harry’s surprise. “Orion and I will go to Hogwarts tonight. You will spend tomorrow sitting on a train, missing me and hoping that I have forgiven you by the time you get to the castle,” she told him.

Harry stared at her as his heart ached painfully in his chest; sure he should have put her and Orion first, he could see that, but being apart from them, even for one night... That was one horrible punishment. He belatedly realised that he was crying silently; he was actually on his knees on their bedroom floor crying while his wife threw a nappies and baby grows into a bag.

Draco squatted down in front of him and kissed away his tears, before placing a kiss on his motionless lips. “I love you and we will see you tomorrow evening,” she told him, putting the packed bag over her shoulder and carefully picking up a still sleeping Orion.

She looked sadly at her forlorn husband once more before stepping around him and leaving the room.

-#-

It was strange being in their Hogwarts rooms without Harry and she quickly realised she hadn’t brought a bassinette to put Orion in. Knowing that if she went back to the house in London she wouldn’t be able to leave again, she lay her son down near the middle of their bed and placed pillows either side of him.

The second she was sure that he was still sleeping, and safe, she broke down; tears flooded down her face as she sat on the floor, her back against the wall. She had been feeling so strong and determined, it was just one night after all, but then Harry had started crying and she had so wanted to stay. She felt like a bitch for leaving him there like that, but surely it wasn’t healthy for them to not even be able to spend one night apart.

By the time she had managed to stop crying she was tired and Draco didn’t even really care that she had been so mad at him; part of her was even ready to admit she might have over-reacted. There were even little threads of worry creeping into her mind. Would Harry hate her now? Would he be worrying that she was going to take Orion away? Would he think she might leave him? Would he leave her?

She tried to remind herself that he knew she loved him and that she would never keep him from his son; but she couldn’t help the doubts that niggled at her mind. Draco resented the little persistent thought in the back of her mind that kept pointing out that Harry was probably even less adept at fighting off those doubts than she was, and appeased it as best she could with the knowledge that Molly would be taking care of him.

Perhaps their relationship could be better if they learned to cope with being apart occasionally; though it was not something she wanted them to make a habit of.

Draco got up and went to lie down next to Orion. She ran her fingers over his hair, as she had taken to doing, watching the as his tiny chest rose and fell with each breath he took; she was still amazed by just how connected she felt to this tiny person she they had made.

Harry would be back where he belonged, with them, the next day but in the meantime Draco was sure sleep would evade her and the wait until she would see the carriages bringing the students up to the school suddenly seemed impossibly long.

-#-

“Harry?!” Molly called out as she headed up the stairs quickly.

She had just seen Draco using the floo, taking Orion with her. Molly had tried to ask the blonde what was going on, but it was too late and the green flames had already carried Harry’s young family away. It had been a small relief to Molly, when she heard Draco command the floo to take them to HogwartsCastle, because she knew that they would be safe there; but now she was worried about Harry.

Either he knew that his wife and son had travelled to the school, and he would therefore likely be upset by their absence, or else he needed to know. The moment Molly stepped inside the master bedroom it was clear that he already knew and she was glad that Draco had at least had the sense to tell him that; even if she was not happy with the blonde for leaving Harry in the state he was in. 

The poor boy looked heartbroken; he sat on the floor by their bed, his knees pulled up to his chest as he cried into his hands.

“Oh, Harry...” Molly said softly, sitting down next to him and putting an arm around him.

He leaned into her side. “They’re gone,” he managed to say between sobs.

“What happened?” she asked kindly; trying to brush his unruly fringe back from his face, which was still buried in his hands.

“I dunno,” he mumbled, “I just suggested we take the train and it all... it all… just... spiralled,” he said, looking up long enough to kind of shrug with his hands, before going back to hiding in them.

“They have only gone to Hogwarts, Harry,” Molly said, in the hope of reassuring him.

“Yeah, I know,” he said with a sigh, lifting his head from his hands and curling up more tightly against the Weasley matriarch’s side. “...I know... and I will see them tomorrow evening, but I haven’t slept apart from Draco since we got married and I have never been away from Orion for so long,” he told her sadly.

“I know this is hard, Harry, but just think how pleased you will be to see them tomorrow,” Molly pointed out, “and how pleased they will be to see you,” she added.

“What if she decides they are better off without me?” Harry said in a tiny, fearful voice.

“Oh, sweetheart; Draco loves you very much, even when she is angry,” she added when Harry looked like he was about to argue. “Do you stop loving Draco when she has does something that really upsets you?” she demanded firmly, to which Harry shook his head insistently.

Molly smiled, “That’s what I thought; surely you can see that it would be no different for her?” she asked him.

“Yeah, I know,” he said, “she told me she loves me before she left. It’s just...well... I... I had my doubts; you know...?” he felt guilty for thinking it, let alone voicing it to his adoptive mother.

But Molly did know and gave him an understanding smile before she went on. “And Harry, you are always going to be Orion’s father; that is something no-one can ever take away from you. Do you really get what that means?”

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment before he nodded; Molly knew that he probably didn’t completely, because no-one really did, certainly not so soon, but that he was thinking about it and that he was less scared was what matter at the moment.

He mumbled his appreciation, as he sniffled a few times and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He knew that he must look a right state and almost started crying again when he realised that he missed the teasing digs that Draco would have undoubtedly given him. He turned his head and cuddled closer to Molly, who hugged him back.

It’s just one night, he told himself mentally. It was going to be a long one though and he thought, not for the first time, that he really didn’t know what he would do without Molly Weasley.

-#-

It had been a pretty boring day for Sirius; he had spent the last two days in the medical wing with Remus, trying to be supportive of the werewolf’s recovery, but Remus was never the best of company on those few days following the full moon. The highlight had been when he had received a letter from Harry informing him about the inspection visit with Madam Coram.

Sirius had initially been angry that a ministry employee had been granted access to his house but, once Remus had calmed him down enough to keep reading, he had realised what a blessing the woman had been and felt a whole lot better about the situation. He had been particularly relieved to hear that the newspapers and magazines would soon be legally forbidden from publishing stories about Orion; that was a weight off all their minds.

It was peaceful in the largely empty castle as he walked back to their shared quarters from the medical wing and it struck him how much he was really looking forward to seeing the little boy. He missed Harry and Draco too, of course, but Orion had just wormed his way so deeply into his heart that he didn’t want to miss a minute with his honorary Grandson.

Sirius opened the door and stepped inside Harry and Draco’s quarters. The rooms had felt large and empty without the rest of his family there, but it was a great comfort to him that tomorrow they would all be back at Hogwarts, together; though knowing that Remus would be returning to the large, empty house in Grimmauld Place did dull his joy somewhat.

As he entered the room he spotted a bag that had clearly been dropped by someone as soon as they had come through the floo; Sirius frowned at it, knowing that no-one else was supposed to be coming until the following day. He then noticed that the door to Harry and Draco’s bedroom was slightly ajar.

 _Guess they decided to come early_ , he thought to himself, smiling at the idea of seeing his young family sooner than he had expected.

He pushed open the door gently, being careful to make no sound in case Orion was there having a nap. It was dark inside and he wondered if they were all sleeping; though he thought it was a bit strange them coming back and then going to sleep without waiting to greet him. Sirius couldn’t help but feel mildly offended by that.

“Harry?” he whispered, not actually wanting to wake them if they were asleep.

There was no answer but he listened carefully and could definitely hear the soft burbling sounds Orion made. He smiled; the small noises were music to his ears and he stepped into the room. His eyes were starting to adjust but he couldn’t see the bassinette anywhere; frowning, he listened carefully and smiled again when he realised that the little boy was on the bed.

He moved forward again, with careful soft steps, towards the bed. Now he was closer he could see that Draco was curled up on her side, fast asleep; she was lying on top of the covers and seemed to be still dressed in normal clothes, which was odd. But what he found even more surprising was Harry’s absence.

Moving around to the other side of the bed, sat down and reached out for one of Orion’s hands with his index finger, smiling when a small fist clasped it firmly and there was a little huffy giggle.

“Hey there, little man,” Sirius whispered, “I missed you, you know,” he told the baby as though it was a priceless secret. “I can’t help but wonder where your Daddy is though; not at all like him to let you or your Mummy out of his sight.”

Draco wasn’t sleeping deeply and as such was disturbed by the largely one-sided conversation going on beside her; she blearily opened one eye and for a moment tried to remember where she was and was definitely confused about Sirius’ presence.

“Sirius?” she asked, blinking deliberately to try and wake herself up a little more.

“Hi, sorry; I didn’t mean to wake you,” he told her, “I could just hear that Orion was awake and I wanted to see him.”

“Oh... right, that’s okay,” she said, letting out a yawn. Not wanting to fall back to sleep now her son was awake, Draco sat up in the bed, her back against the headboard and reached for her wand to give them a little light.

“So, where’s Harry?” Sirius asked, shying his eyes away from the rather sudden light increase.

Apparently Orion didn’t think much of it either as he started to cry.

“Oh, sorry baby,” Draco said, quickly picking up the little boy, rocking as she cuddled him against her chest. “And Harry will be here tomorrow,” she added, almost as an afterthought.

“Tomorrow?” Sirius asked with a frown, “he was okay with you coming here without him? Why are you here early anyway? Not that I mind, or course, I am delighted to see you two,” he added quickly.

“Harry and I kind of had a fight,” she said in annoyance, really not wanting to discuss it.

“Again?” he asked in surprise; he couldn’t remember the two of them having more than small squabbles before and now two fights in a week. “What’s going on?”

“We will be fine, honestly,” she promised him.

“Draco...” he said in a warning tone that made it clear he thought she was avoiding the issue.

“I just don’t want to talk about it,” she said stubbornly.

Sirius frowned. Avoiding the issue was hardly the way to go about it, but as much as he loved them both, it was still their relationship; all he could do was be ready to listen and offer advice, should they be crazy enough to want that from him.

“I’m worried...” Draco admitted, and the confession caught Sirius off guard; he hadn’t expected to hear the truth so soon, but maybe he had underestimated the trust the blonde had in him.

“About...?” he prompted, not wanting to push her, but not willing to give up the chance to get some answers either.

“That Harry doesn’t love me,” Draco told him and he could have sworn she was holding Orion just that little bit more securely against her.

Sirius was surprised, not least by how hesitant and anxious her voice sounded. “Of course he loves you,” he told her insistently.

“No, you misunderstand; I don’t think he loves _ME_. The real me, I mean,” Draco tried to explain, “I know he loves the girl he saved; the girl who was scared of what else the world was going to throw at her, but...”

“You worry that now you are getting your confidence back he won’t want you?” Sirius asked, a completely baffled expression on his face. “Draco...”

“I think that is what is causing our fights though; before I was always so scared of being alone again and my hormones were so all over the place and I needed Harry, for so many reasons and I held back but now...” Draco took a deep breath, seemingly breathing in Orion’s scent and seemed to need a moment before she could go on. “Now... I am being more myself; saying what is on my mind more often, telling him my opinion and then fighting for it...”

“And you think Harry doesn’t want that?” he asked her.

“It isn’t the person he married...”

“Yes it is, Draco!” Sirius told her. “You two have spent years driving each other crazy and arguing, and Harry knew full well who he was marrying. Do you really think he wants some placid little wife, who will stand dutifully by his side and do as she is told?”

Draco chuckled at that; that wouldn’t be what Harry would want at all, but surely he didn’t want a life filled with arguments either. _And he definitely doesn’t want to be reduced to pleading and tears, like I did to him earlier_ , she thought as the smile slid from her face.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have come here without him,” Draco said sadly.

“Does he know you’re here?” Sirius asked.

“He does,” she confirmed, “but he literally was on his knees begging me not to. I made him cry, Sirius,” she said sounding truly wretched at the memory. “He apologised and I came here without him anyway.”

“Did you forgive him?” Sirius asked, and Draco nodded slowly, looking unsure. “So why did you come here then, if he apologised and you forgave him?” he asked her.

She really had to think about that one. Part of it was simply about wanting to punish him for not automatically choosing her first, but another part... it hurt her head to think about it.

“He hurt me!” she said.

“Do you want to tell me what he did?”

“Not really,” Draco told him grumpily.

“Fair enough, maybe we can talk in the morning? I assume Molly is at Grimmauld Place with Harry?”

“She was there when I left,” Draco confirmed.

“Well then I am sure she is doing a marvellous job of looking after him and I doubt that a night apart will do either of you any harm.” Sirius told her with a smile

“I hope you’re right.”

“If nothing else, it will prove to the pair of you how much you want to be together and that despite that you can survive being apart.”

“Maybe...” she mumbled but Sirius wasn’t sure she really believed him.

He was definitely worried about her, about both her and Harry; something was going on he just hoped that maybe tomorrow she might be more ready to talk to him about it.

Now... have you had dinner?” he asked Draco, wanting to distract her from her sulk.

But it was her grumbling stomach that answered for her.

-#-

Harry had gone to bed to try and sleep the time away, but this had the terrible side effect of his being in the room that felt most empty without his family. He let out a long sigh that trembled slightly in his throat.

Molly had really done her best and had reassured him a lot, but the whole situation was still horrible and he knew he wouldn’t really feel better again until he was at Hogwarts, had talked to Draco and cuddled with Orion.

Giving up on sleep he figured he would get up and carry on packing the last few things he had planned to sort in the morning before asking Molly, Kreacher, and maybe Sirius, to help him floo their belongings over to the castle.

His mind was buzzing with worries that Draco wouldn’t forgive him, that he might lose her. So when the question of whether he forgave her, suddenly popped into his head, he didn’t know what to think.

 _Did he forgive her for running off to Hogwarts with Orion like she had_? He wondered, as he sat down on the edge of their bed to think.

_Did he?_


	35. Time to Dwell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 35. As my facebook followers know, this chapter has been quite hard work, but I believe it was worth it. I hope you all agree. There might not be an update next week as I am away but I should be back the week after.
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my brilliant beta, AchillesTheGeek.

_ Previously: _

_Giving up on sleep he figured he would get up and carry on packing the last few things he had planned to sort in the morning before asking Molly, Kreacher, and maybe Sirius, to help him floo their belongings over to the castle._

_His mind was buzzing with worries that Draco wouldn’t forgive him, that he might lose her. So when the question of whether he forgave her, suddenly popped into his head, he didn’t know what to think._

_Did he forgive her for running off to Hogwarts with Orion like she had? He wondered, as he sat down on the edge of their bed to think._

_Did he?_

-#-

Severus entered the Malfoy dining room to find Lucius waiting for him. They stood facing each other, an awkward and tense silence hovering between them. He suspected that his former friend distrusted him; though whether it was due to fertility potion he had provided for Narcissa, or because Lucius suspected that he was still on good terms with Draco, was unclear. Not that the reason really mattered anyway; Severus found the way that Lucius had treated his family members too distasteful to truly consider the man his friend anymore.

Narcissa's pregnancy was proving every bit as difficult as he had warned her it might be and at just five months pregnant she had been put on permanent bed rest. As such this left the two men with only each other for company as they ate their dinner.

Severus supposed that perhaps Lucius' increasingly foul temper was being aggravated by the worry he felt for his wife, or at least his unborn heir, but even if so, this admittedly sound reasoning  behind it did not make it any easier to bear.

"There is no reason to think her health will deteriorate any further," Severus told the man across the table from him.

"The foolish woman deserves her fate," Lucius snapped, though Severus thought he saw a flicker of pain in those cold grey eyes; but that might have just have been wishful thinking. "Too weak to conceive without aid of a potion; too fragile to even fulfil her purpose as a wife without help," he went on, the calm collectedness of his voice making it sound like he was discussing a disappointing business deal. "I will do what it takes to ensure that she does not lose me my second son."

"Of course," Severus replied, with a small curt nod. And he meant it; of course Lucius Malfoy would spare no expense to ensure the continuation of his family.

Narcissa had insisted they not tell her husband about which fertility potion they used, believing Lucius would not agree to risk her life, but now Severus was sure she had overestimated her husband's affection for her. It was becoming increasingly obvious that the man cared naught for her health or well being, only for the legacy she was required to provide. The potions master wondered how he had not seen it so clearly before, and if the moments of affection he had witnessed between them had ever been genuine.

He disliked this man he saw before him, but he would say nothing more, though; he still considered Narcissa a friend even if Lucius no longer was and so, for her sake, held his tongue, lest he be barred from their Manor house.

-#-

"Harry James Potter!" Molly said in exasperation as she came into his room and stood in the doorway with her arms folded in front of her.

He looked up at her from where he was sitting on the floor, his back against the side of his and Draco's bed, and forced an unconvincing smile onto his face.

"I would ask you how long you slept, but I have a feeling that the answer will only make me worry about you even more," she said, shaking her head and gesturing for him to get to his feet.

He did so, noting absently how heavy his body felt; it was hardly the first time he had suffered from lack of sleep. But this time he felt mentally weary, as well as physically. More than that, he knew that it showed on his face and there would be no hiding it from anyone who knew him at all.

"Let's get some breakfast into you, while I go and recruit Sirius into helping us get these trunks and all this baby furniture through the floo to Hogwarts," Molly suggested, as she headed towards one of the packed cases in the room and pulled out some clothes for Harry to wear. "But while I am cooking, you are going to go and have a shower and get changed."

"Yes, Molly," Harry answered mechanically, but not moving from the spot where he was standing.

"HARRY!" she said loudly, making him jolt out of it slightly and look at her. She walked across the room and dumped the clothes she had selected into his arms. "I know last night was hard for you, but if you are going to prove yourself as a husband and father you have to stop moping and pull yourself together," she told him firmly.

He nodded his understanding; she was right, of course, he had a lot to prove. Turning up at Hogwarts smelly, in yesterday's clothes, having not sorted getting their belongings moved, half starved and pouting like a kicked puppy was hardly going to win his favours with his wife.

"Right; shower, changed, breakfast, moving furniture and trunks," Harry reeled off as proof that he had been listening.

"Good boy," Molly praised, pulling him into a loose hug and kissing his temple. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes," she told him as she headed out of the room.

-#-

"What the hell happened last night?" Sirius asked Molly in hushed tones, when she floo called him.

Molly shook her head sadly, "They had a fight over how they were going to travel to Hogwarts," she explained, "but I can't help but think there is more to it than that."

Sirius nodded, "I tried to talk to Draco last night but she didn't want to say whatever it was that was eating at her," he said with a sigh. "I know it is none of our business, it is their relationship after all, but I wish we could help them."

"I know, Sirius," Molly said understandingly; she agreed completely. "We need to get this furniture and trunks moved over, and then Harry is going to take the train to school; maybe I can come over after that and we can both talk with Draco, and see if we can't get to the bottom of this."

"It is worth a try," Sirius agreed.

"You had any breakfast?" Molly asked. "I made too much for Harry and me, maybe you would like to join us?"

"Great idea," he said with a grin, "let me just leave Draco a note in case she wakes up and wonders where I went."

Molly nodded and closed the floo connection; heading back into the kitchen to make sure Harry was actually eating the food she had placed in front of him before she went to call Sirius.

"I'm eating, look!" Harry said insistently the second she came back into the room, indicating his half emptied plate.

She chuckled, "Good; Sirius is going to come and join us in a few minutes. Then he will help take all your stuff through," she explained.

Harry nodded his understanding and gave her a nervous smile. Sirius had probably spoken with Draco and Harry knew how much his godfather loved her, and that just put too many questions into Harry's head. Would Sirius be furious at Harry? Would he hate him for upsetting Draco? Did he know if Draco was going to forgive him? Would he be upset at Draco for upsetting Harry?

"Sirius isn't upset with either of you," Molly said, interrupting his increasingly panicked train of thought as she sat down opposite him with her own plate of breakfast. "He is just worried about you," she told him. "As am I."

He bit at his lip. He wasn't really surprised that they were worried about him but he knew that was code for 'we want you to talk to us about it' and that was something he was sure he didn't want to do; at least not until he had talked to Draco.

"Hey, Kiddo," Sirius greeted; patting a hand heavily on Harry's back, as he took a seat next to him, and Molly summoned another plate of food.

"Hi," Harry said bad a little less enthusiastically, "how is she?"

"About as happy as you look," he said honestly. "Though I think she at least got a little sleep," he amended, noting the dark circles under Harry's eyes.

"That's good," Harry said sadly, stabbing at his remaining breakfast with a fork.

"She misses you, and I think she knows she over-reacted," Sirius told him, trying to cheer his godson up a little.

"Draco said that?" Harry asked, looking up sceptically.

"Well, not in so many words..." Sirius said evasively.

Harry sighed, and managed to force himself to eat another bite of egg before dropping his fork onto his plate; giving up on the meal all together and leaning back in his chair.

"Can we just get the stuff through to Hogwarts?" he asked, "I don't want to be late for the train."

"Sure we can," Molly agreed, and Harry didn't miss the stern look she gave Sirius to silence the words that were on the tip of his tongue. "Why don't you go start bringing the stuff downstairs and stack it next to the fireplace, ready to go through," she suggested.

Harry nodded; glad for the excuse to escape their sympathetic expressions. He took the stairs two at a time and headed for their bedroom. He looked around; at least having been up all night meant that he didn't have any more packing to take care of. It was really going to be a long day and he already felt dead on his feet.

-#-

Draco woke up to Orion's cries; with a groan she sat up and lifted him into her arms.

"Morning, baby," Draco said softly, noticing the odour that let her know exactly what her son was crying about. "Shall we get you changed before we feed you?" she asked him through a yawn; slipping them out of bed and sitting on the floor next to where she had stacked the baby supplies  she had brought with her.

She had been up a couple of times in the night;  it was nothing new and she was fairly proficient at changing and feeding Orion without even having to fully wake up, but she couldn't deny that she missed being able to just shove Harry out of bed to deal with him at least once.

"So, what are we going to do today to distract Mummy until Daddy gets here?" Draco asked him rhetorically, "We'll have to think of something because if we sit around here all day I think I might lose my mind."

Orion reached out a little fist towards her and cooed; seemingly delighted that his mother was paying him so much attention and talking to him. She smiled at the joyful expression on her son's tiny features; she couldn't even begin to understand how this tiny person was not automatically Harry's first priority in everything they did.

Draco didn't doubt that Harry loved their son every bit as much as she did, but she was just feeling frustrated with her husband. She reminded herself that she wasn't going to spend the day acting like some poor little abandoned housewife. She was Draco Potter; she wasn't going to sit around all day missing Harry or feeling hard done by.

Having manoeuvred Orion into a bodysuit and a pair of tiny trousers, and occupied him with a rattle, she re-packed the bag with enough supplies to last the day. She had just called a house elf to bring her some breakfast when she spotted Sirius' note.

**_'Draco,_ **

**_Gone to breakfast with Harry and Molly, I'll be back soon._ **

**_Sirius'_ **

She frowned at the mental image of Harry enjoying a happy breakfast with Orion's honorary grandparents. That was all they were to her after all, it wasn't like she was really their family; she only had earned her place in their lives as Harry's wife and Orion's mother, she thought grumpily.

Once she had eaten and fed Orion, Draco realised she hadn't thought to grab the baby sling before living Grimmauld Place and so settled the bag over her shoulder before settling her son into her arms. She was about to leave when she hesitated; heading back to the table, she flipped over Sirius' note and scribbled her own on the reverse side.

"Let's go see if we can go and find someone who might actually want us around," Draco told her son, as they headed out of their rooms and in the direction of the Dungeons.

-#-

It had not taken long for Sirius to travel back and forward through the floo with most of Harry and Draco's belongings, but at half ten they were standing on the doorway of Grimmauld place saying their goodbyes.

"I would get all sentimental but I will see you at Hogwarts this evening," Sirius said, giving him a hug and making Harry manage a half smile.

"I, on the other hand, am going to miss you," Molly said, pulling him from Sirius' arms into hers.

"I'll miss you too," he responded, squeezing her tightly, "I better get going."

"Here you go," Sirius said, handing Harry his backpack containing the things he would need for the day, "see you this evening."

Harry nodded and gave Molly another quick hug before going down the front steps and holding his wand out once he reached the curb.  It was with a bang that the knight bus appeared.

"Morning Stan," Harry greeted, recognising the conductor as he got on board.

"Kings Cross, Mr Potter?" the conductor asked, Harry nodded. "Eleven Sickles," Stan told him.

Harry fished out the coins and handed over his fee. He hurried along the bus and found himself a comfortable armchair  near a window so that he could wave good bye to his godfather and his surrogate mother.

-#-

The first of September. Hardly Severus Snape's favourite day of the year but this year's felt all the more miserable following the visit he had paid to the Malfoys’ the day before. He had returned to the castle, following the nearly silent dinner, earlier than he had planned and used the remainder of his evening to finalise his first week's lesson plans.

And that was why he found himself standing in his empty classroom, with no idea what he was going to do with his last day before his world became filled, once more, with numerous annoying children.

_Knock, knock..._

Severus turned and glared at the door, not sure who it could be; most of the other professors tended not to visit him and the students wouldn't be arriving till the evening. Albus perhaps, but he wasn't really in the mood to talk to the headmaster.

_Knock, knock..._

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 'So much for a day of peace and quiet,' he thought to himself as he trudged across the room and yanked the door open.

"Hello, Sir"

"Mrs Potter, what a delightful surprise," Severus greeted with a small frown of confusion, though he wasn't exactly radiating enthusiasm. "I was not aware that they had changed the time of the train."

"They didn't; I flooed here with Orion last night," Draco told him, stepping round the potions master into the room.

"Then I take it that Mr Potter will not be joining us today?" he asked, closing the door and turning to face Draco; who was taking a seat at one of the desks, dropping her bag to the floor and shifting Orion in her arms.

"My dear husband was under the delusion that spending a full day on a train with a three month old baby was a good idea," Draco replied. She looked up and gave Professor Snape a wry smile, "we didn't exactly see eye to eye on it... he will arrive here like the good little normal student he apparently wishes he was."

"Mr Potter's emotional issues aside, I suspect you are not here for relationship advice," he told her pointedly as he walked the length of the room back towards his desk.

"Actually that's kind of exactly why I am here," Draco told him and the Professor turned to stare at her with disbelief. "Because you won't want to talk about it," she clarified.

"I see."

"Unless you have things you need to be doing?" Draco asked slowly.

"Nothing of significance," Snape told her dismissively, "perhaps we should use this time to discuss the contraceptive potion Madam Pomfrey and I have researched for you," he suggested, looking through a small stack of books on his desk.

Draco's pale complexion became somewhat flushed as she avoided meeting his eye, focusing on where her son was gripping her finger in his sleep.

"Unless your marriage will no longer require..."

"Oh,..." Draco interrupted, looking up and seeing the that potions master had crossed the room to stand next to her. "Actually, I think we should probably look at what you found," she said quietly.

Snape chuckled. "Yes, I thought so," he said smugly, as he placed the book in his hand on the desk next to Draco and opened it to a marked page. "There are quite enough Potters in this world already," he told her.

She gave him a stern glare but  this didn't  faze the potions master in the slightest; his feelings about the Potter family in general was hardly news to Draco. Looking at the book on the desk, she pulled it towards herself, so as to be able to read it, and wasn't surprised to see that it was brewing instructions for an apparently potent contraceptive potion that had to be taken on a weekly basis.

"I have made one batch, which I will give to you shortly," he said, "but I expect you to take responsibility for brewing this for yourself in future."

Draco looked over the instructions again; they didn't seem particularly complex and certainly no more difficult that some of the other potions she knew she was going to be required to brew as part of the education for NEWT level potions.

"As it is highly preferable that we ensure that you and your husband do not continue to procreate whilst your education is still incomplete, you will be demonstrating to me that you are capable enough to complete such a task," he instructed.

"What... now?" Draco asked in surprise.

"Will that be a problem?" he asked.

"Only in that I have Orion with me," she pointed out, glancing at the sleeping boy in her arms, "I don't exactly feel comfortable brewing a potion while holding him, even if I could manage one handed."

Snape's lip curled into a sneer as he realised she had a point. After a moment of hesitation, where he was questioning his own sanity, he held out his arms. "I shall hold him," he told her firmly.

Draco raised an eyebrow in surprise; she had not seen that suggestion coming. She wasn't completely sure about it but perhaps it would be worth it to see the stern and grouchy man cradling an infant in his arms.

"Have you ever held a baby before?" she asked.

"Your mother insisted I hold you when you were younger than this," Snape said indignantly, gesturing again for Draco to hand Orion over. "I assure you no harm will come to the boy. The potion is non-toxic and it would take someone with Longbottom's abilities to make it in any way volatile."

"The boy's name is Orion,” Draco said, matching the indignant tone Snape had used. “And very well," she continued, getting to her feet and carefully shifting her son into the Professor's arms, so as not to wake the sleeping baby.

"He has grown significantly since I saw him last," Snape said, as he watched the sleeping baby.

"That happens with children," Draco said absent mindedly as she read over the potion instructions again.

"His hair has also begun to take on a disturbing resemblance to his Father's," the potions master pointed out, "and his Grandfather's..." Snape added in a disapproving tone under his breath.

"I am sure it is not healthy to bear grudges over the hair of long-dead school rivals, Sir," Draco said glancing at him with an amused expression.

Snape glared daggers at her for her cheekiness. "Perhaps this whole process would be more productive if you actually retrieved some ingredients to brew it with?" he suggested testily.

Draco bit back the sarcastic comments that jumped into her mind and headed for the store cupboard.

-#-

Harry found it very strange to be winding his way through Kings Cross station without his usual trolley full of belongings; though granted it did make dodging the milling crowds significantly easier, which was fortunate given that it was already quarter to eleven when the Knight bus had reached his stop.

He stepped casually through the barrier and smiled as the sight of Platform 9 3/4 came into view. It was, of course, packed with students and parents, and the madness of it all still appealed to Harry as much as it had when he was eleven; though he was glad it seemed less intimidating than it had back then.

"Harry!"

Turning towards the familiar voice he spotted Hermione waving at him enthusiastically, from where she was stood next to Ron. He gave her a quick wave to let her know he had spotted them and headed in their direction.

"Where's Draco?" she asked, as soon as he reached them.

"What she meant to say was, 'Hi, Harry, how are you?'" Ron told him with a smirk, ignoring Hermione when she gave him a shove.

"I'm okay," Harry said dryly, "And Draco is at Hogwarts."

" Ah, did she floo there with Orion?" Hermione asked, "That makes a lot of sense, I can't see spending the full day on the train with a baby being a very good idea," she added.

Harry sighed, "Yeah, well I wish I had figured that out that quickly; then I might be at Hogwarts with my wife and son," he said morosely, "rather than spending the day on a train worrying about the conversation me and Draco have to have when I get there."

"Oh, Harry..." Hermione said with sympathy, pulling him into a hug. "Come on, let's go find somewhere to sit and you can tell us what happened," she said as she released him from her vice-like grip, only to start all but dragging him along by his hand. "Our trunks are with Ginny, but we can go find her later," the brunette rambled.

"Give the bloke a minute to breathe, Hermione," Ron told her with exasperation, helping to free Harry as they stepped onto the train, so that the they could follow her at a more reasonable pace. "Where's your trunk? We should get it on the train."

"Oh, Sirius already took it through the floo directly from home," Harry explained. "I've got my uniform in here, before you panic, Hermione," he added quickly, indicating his backpack, as soon as his friend turned around and opened her mouth to speak.

Ron chuckled at the indignant look on her face and took over the search for an empty compartment where they could talk. He didn't find one; he did find one that was solely occupied by Blaise, who currently had his nose in a book.

"I assume we can join you?" Ron asked.

Blaise looked up and smiled at the sight of them. "Of course," he said, closing his book and indicating that they should come in. "Harry?" he asked, when he noticed the Gryffindor was hovering in the doorway rather than taking seats like the others.

"I... erm... look, I know Draco is your best friend and..." Harry mumbled.

"Indeed; talking of her, where is she?" Blaise questioned.

"Hogwarts apparently," Ron told him.

Blaise looked at Harry questioningly and after a minute or so, Harry sighed and took the seat by the window, next to Hermione.

"She flooed there last night after we had a fight," he admitted, and proceeded to tell them about the argument. Several times one of the boys went to interrupt, but a stern look from Hermione, or an elbow to the ribs in Ron's case, silenced them. She didn't want Harry to stop now that he had started and by the time he was done recounting the painful events from the evening before, King's Cross Station had been left far behind.

"Well it sounds to me like Draco completely over-reacted," Ron said a little bit angrily, once Harry was done talking.

"And it sounds to me like Harry needs to start putting Orion and Draco first," Blaise bit back, determined to defend his friend.

"You're both right!" Harry said impatiently, "Look, I am really hurt by Draco taking Orion to Hogwarts last night, but equally I know I was being a prat," he told them. "And no, Hermione, I don't want to talk about it anymore, the only person I really want to discuss this all with is Draco."

She nodded her head at this and Harry gave her a weak but grateful smile. Blaise was obviously annoyed at him, but even he didn't seem angry and Harry was glad that the Slytherin was at least trying to understand, despite being Draco's friend more than his really.

Harry rested his forehead on the cool glass of the window and watched miserably as the rows of terraced houses and muggle industrial estates turned into green fields and trees. He missed Draco and Orion, he couldn't wait to see them and yet he was dreading what words his wife might have for him once they reached the castle later that evening.

-#-

Some of the ingredients in the potion were fairly innocuous, such as the peppermint and fluxweed; but, considering she was going to be drinking it on a regular basis, she felt she could have done without knowing about the armadillo bile and rat spleen.

Draco had been preparing ingredients and brewing for nearly an hour under Professor Snape's watchful gaze and it was going well. She was delighted to find that the instructions were every bit as easy to follow as she had at first thought. The only problem was that Orion had woken up and the potions master was now rather awkwardly pacing around the classroom in an attempt to soothe the little boy.

"Try feeding him," Draco suggested, "there is a bottle of milk I expressed in his nappy bag under a preservation charm."

She had hoped she would manage to get to the stage where she had to let the potion boil for seventeen minutes before Orion woke up but it was probably going to take at least another five minutes before she reached that point. It was taking all her might not to just drop everything and rush to her crying son, but then they would have to begin again with the potion.

Snape carefully cradled Orion against his chest with one arm and managed to dig in the bag with the other; it was tricky, and difficult to find what he was looking for, but years of making complex potions had made him surprisingly dextrous.

"You will need to use a warming charm on it," Draco instructed, as she stirred the potion clockwise. "And then test it on your arm, make sure it isn't too hot."

The potions master did as instructed and both he and Draco let out sighs of relief as Orion's cries ceased, as he latched onto the bottle and began to drink. Draco took a moment to look up and couldn't help but grin at the sight of the normally dour man watching, with fascination, as the three month old in his arms fed.

"Perhaps you should be focusing on the potion, Draco," Professor Snape suggested without shifting his gaze. "That is after all the only reason I am doing this; otherwise, I have no desire to spend my day pampering to infantile Potters."

Draco did turn her attention back to her potion, adding a pinch of powdered dragon horn and stirring seven times anti-clockwise before speaking.

"Referring to Orion as infantile when he actually is an infant leaves it as a rather poor insult," Draco told the potions master.

"You assume I intended it as an insult rather than just a statement of fact," Snape pointed out, "I have no great dislike for your son Draco; he has two parents, after all, and perhaps with his mother’s input there is a chance he may grow up to be somewhat more bearable  than his Potter ancestors."

"You need to burp him," Draco instructed, when she saw the potions master place the empty baby bottle onto a desk, choosing to ignore the derogatory reference to her husband; creating amicability between those two seemed a lost cause and certainly one she did not have time for at the moment.

"I am aware," Severus said, with Orion already up near his shoulder.

"Okay, and then we just have to wait the seventeen minutes while it boils," Draco said, feeling quite proud of herself that she had brewed the potion successfully the first time.

"That is fortunate, because I draw the line at dealing with the odour that is emanating from your son at present," he told her.

Draco couldn't help but laughed when she looked up and saw the expression of pure disgust that was on the man's face, and his uncomfortably rigid posture. It was obvious he wanted to be holding Orion at arm's length but Draco was glad the professor's desire to hold the boy securely had over-powered that. Though he did looked quite profoundly relieved when Draco took her son back.

It did not take Draco long to deal with her son’s discomfort. She sighed as she banished the soiled nappy, wishing that the other problems in her life were so easily fixed. She thought of the discussion she was going to have to have with her husband when he arrived; she was nervous about that, and Professor Snape’s animosity didn’t really help.

She was torn between wanting to find an excuse to remain in the potions master's company and knowing she should return to her rooms. She was sure that Sirius, and probably Molly if she understood the Weasley matriarch as well as she believed she did, would be waiting there, wanting to continue the conversation she had cut short the night before.

In truth, despite his earlier comments, part of her would have liked to discuss the situation with Professor Snape, but she wasn’t sure she could trust him to give dispassionate advice; and she felt guilty enough about the situation already. She didn’t need Snape’s scorn poured on her husband. Nor, come to that, did Harry.

She would have to face her demons; perhaps a conversation with Sirius and Molly would help. It would not be easy; it was not truly in her nature to be so open about what was on her mind but perhaps it was like the potion. You had to know when to turn up the heat to get the changes you wanted. There was no point being anxious, she decided, she would return to her room and give them a chance to help her, as soon she was done with the potion. There was nothing more to be done about Harry right now; but Orion was another matter. She gave him a smile and tickled him, and some of her worries melted away as he made the most gorgeous cooing happy noises.

She heard Snape move behind her, and looked up. His face was back to its dour mask; but he hadn’t been quite quick enough. She had caught a glimpse the little smile and the look of true delight that had been there before he could hide them.  She smiled at him, wondering how to coax them out again but she knew that he preferred to maintain his cold, hard exterior. It was familiar, she realised; it was the same pretence she had felt the need to put on, until Harry. Obviously Severus could never learn to be more open from Harry, but was it possible that Orion could help bring some joy into the potions master's life?

It seemed like something worth trying and she made a mental note to ensure that she brought her son for frequent visits. She had a mental image of the potions master teaching a toddler Orion about selecting ingredients and it put the widest and most genuine grin she had in days on her face.

Snape looked at her with concern and confusion, but she was sure he wouldn't appreciate or understand her thoughts, even if she tried to explain, so she stuck with what she knew he would be comfortable with.

"Shall we prepare the vials to bottle the potion?" Draco asked, realising it only needed to boil for a couple more minutes.

He frowned at her, fully aware she was avoiding saying something but deciding after a moment that he perhaps didn't want to know and that there was likely a reason it had been left unsaid. "Of course,” he agreed with a nod and went to fetch them.

He was glad of the distraction, in truth; his mind was abuzz with thoughts, as he compared the family Orion had with the family the new Malfoy child would be born into, the family that had raised Draco. He would be the first to admit he was not particularly fond of small children, but it seemed so wrong that two teenaged school children could provide a better family life for a growing child than a wealthy couple in their early forties.

But that was enough of such thoughts. It was always best to have a clear mind when dealing with potions, after all; even it was just bottling. Where were those pesky vials?


	36. Understanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 36. Thank you all for your patience, I hope the chapter is worth the wait. :D
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my brilliant beta, AchillesTheGeek.

_ Previously: _

_He was glad of the distraction, in truth; his mind was abuzz with thoughts, as he compared the family Orion had with the family the new Malfoy child would be born into, the family that had raised Draco. He would be the first to admit he was not particularly fond of small children, but it seemed so wrong that two teenaged school children could provide a better family life for a growing child than a wealthy couple in their early forties._

_But that was enough of such thoughts. It was always best to have a clear mind when dealing with potions, after all; even it was just bottling. Where were those pesky vials?_

-#-

"Do you really think we shouldn't go look for her?" Molly asked anxiously as she drained her second cup of tea.

"Honestly, Molly; Draco will be back soon I'm sure," Sirius told her, seriously debating whether he should make sure that the next cups contained something stronger.  "Us fussing over where she is or dragging her back here is hardly conductive to getting her to open up to us," he pointed out.

They were sitting in Harry and Draco's rooms, having found them empty after having bid goodbye to Harry and moved the last couple of things through the floo. Hey had been worried for a few minutes until Sirius had found the note that had been left for him.

 ** _'I'll be back soon,'_** it said in Draco's elegant scrawl. He wished it had said where exactly the young mother was planning on going, but at least he was fairly sure nothing had happened to her. She had at least left the rooms of her own accord and intended to return. He also knew she had Orion with her and that reassured him that Draco wouldn't go anywhere that wasn't safe.

"I have to admit I had my doubts when Harry and Draco moved in with you," Molly told him, "but you have proved yourself a excellent father."

"That is high praise indeed, coming from you," he said with a grin, raising his cup of tea in a toast

They both turned towards the door as it swung open, revealing Draco with her son in her arms. She stepped into the room before seeing them; even though Sirius lived with them, it still made her jump to find them both sat looking at her. She carefully closed the door to give herself time to recover; did she really want to do this?

"Can we talk?" she asked, stepping hesitantly towards where the two adults were sitting.

"Of course," Sirius told her, patting the space on the sofa next to him.

"Would you rather I leave or...?"Molly asked.

"No... Stay... Please," Draco said, taking a seat and handing Orion to Sirius when the older man reached out his arms for him.

Molly gave her a fond smile, “Of course, I will,” she promised, “but how about some tea?”

Draco nodded, “that would be good… thanks.”

Molly got to her feet to go and pour a cup. She didn’t like how downtrodden the blonde looked and thought that Draco definitely didn’t seem quite like the confident person they had seen her become more and more in recent months. Sirius was thinking similar things as he cuddled the infant in his arms against his chest, Orion's ear resting where he would be able to hear the calming sound of his grandfather's heartbeat.

“So why don’t you tell us what’s on your mind, dear?” Molly suggested, as she poured the tea, making herself a fresh cup while she was at it.

Draco honestly wasn’t quite sure where to start; she had had so many thoughts going around in her head since their argument the day before. At least part of her was worried that maybe it was already too late; she was afraid she may have already done irreparable damage to their relationship. Images of Harry’s tear-streaked face, as he begged her to stay, came to mind as she closed her eyes to think.

“Does Harry hate me?” she asked, her eyes still closed, dreading the answer.

“What?” Molly asked, surprised that Draco would ever think such a thing. “Of course not,” she assured her, placing the tea of the coffee table and taking a seat on the teen’s other side.

“Why would you think that?” Sirius asked her. It was heartbreaking to hear her thinking that way, the confidence it had taken her so long to recover evidently shaken by her and Harry’s argument.

“Wouldn’t you, after what I did?” Draco asked them, looking up.

“He is hurt and upset, but he doesn’t hate you,” Molly explained firmly, putting a hand on her arm.

“But I took his son,” Draco said sadly, “how can he forgive me for that?”

“Because he loves you,” Sirius told her, “have you not worked that out yet?”

“Sirius…” Molly said in a warning tone but was pleased to see a mildly amused smile twitch at the corner of Draco’s mouth. “The point here is that Harry needs to know why you left.”

“I would tell him if I knew,” the blonde said in annoyance; weren’t they supposed to be helping her figure that out? “I just know I was angry that… that he didn’t put us first. He said he wants to be normal, like he was ashamed of us,” she said, feeling her temper rising again.

“Oh, Draco, no!” Sirius said firmly, sitting forward carefully, so as not to jar Orion. “Harry has always been treated like the odd one out,” he tried to explain, “with his Aunt and Uncle he was the unwanted child with magic, and in the wizarding world he is the Boy-Who-Lived; his wanting to be normal, and just fit in, is nothing new and definitely not because he is ashamed of you or Orion.”

“And that is more important to him that his family?” Draco demanded. She knew it wasn’t really true, but now that she was starting to understand what Harry had been trying to say the day before, she felt even more guilty about her reaction.

“Nothing is more important to him than you and Orion,” Molly said, and her voice was almost angry.

She understood that Draco and Harry would argue and disagree and while she didn’t like that Draco had left Harry the evening before, she could accept that Draco probably had good reasons for it, even if they hadn’t worked out what they were yet. But she would not listen to suggestions that Draco and Orion didn’t mean everything to Harry.

“I thought you forgave him,” Sirius said with a frown.

“I did!” Draco said, frustrated more with herself than with anyone else.

“Then stop making excuses,” Molly said crossly.

“Molly…!” Sirius exclaimed, surprised that the Weasley matriarch had been so blunt about it.

“No, Draco needs to hear this,” she insisted. “I know that he hurt you and that he should have thought about what would be best for you and Orion before deciding what he wanted, but he knows that too. He has learned his lesson and now you are just using it as an excuse to punish him,” Molly told her.

Sirius was looking on with worry as Draco eyes were wide in shock; no-one had ever really spoken to her that way and certainly not with the intention of helping her. Lucius had shouted at her and told her off but it was always more to let out his frustrations than to teach; Narcissa on the other hand was always so concerned about how harsh Lucius was that she was hesitant to deny Draco anything.

“Why did you leave him?” Molly demanded firmly.

"I wanted him to know what he would be losing if he left us," she replied angrily before she had even managed to process the thought. She let out a gasp and clamped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she had just said.

Molly’s harsh expression broke into a softer one, “It’s okay,” she told her, “I thought that might be it,” she said with a knowing smile, “but I wanted you to work it out for yourself.”

Draco looked at her through teary eyes, somewhat stunned that Molly had almost tricked an answer out of her; if Draco was honest with herself she was quite impressed but equally she was horrified with the realization of why she had acted the way she had; why she had taken her son and run.

"That might just be the most Slytherin thing I have ever done," she said a bit faintly, wondering again why on earth Harry would ever forgive her. "I really wish I hadn't."

"Well, we all do things we regret, Draco,” Molly said softly.

“He will be here in a few hours," Sirius pointed out, “perhaps you should tell him that?”

“That I wanted to show him what he might be losing?” Draco asked, looking confused. Surely that wouldn’t be something that Harry would want to hear?

“I meant that you regretted not staying with him,” Sirius corrected, “but I think explaining why you did leave might be a good idea too.”

Molly was nodding her agreement. “Isn’t that what we are trying to achieve here? Work out why you reacted the way you did, so that you can talk to Harry about it and work on the underlying issues there?” she told her. “How is anything going to get better if you won’t talk to Harry about this?”

Draco bowed her head. Molly was right of course, but it was nothing short of terrifying to even consider admitting to Harry that they had issues, that they had things they needed to work on if their marriage was going to survive, let alone flourish.

“Molly’s right,” Sirius said, mirroring her own thoughts. “The two of you probably need to have a real talk about your worries, Draco. I don't believe that Harry will ever leave you but, without clearing this up, you are never going to believe that, are you?”

Draco nodded; she knew they were both right. As much as she didn't want to admit to Harry that it had been wrong for her to leave, nor face the chance that he couldn’t forgive her for it, she knew that her marriage and family were worth more to her than her pride and this was what they needed.

“As I said yesterday: if nothing else, it will prove to the pair of you how much you want to be together and that despite that you can survive being apart,” Sirius added.

“I can sort of see that... maybe... it helps though, this all helps,” Draco said, clearly still mulling things over, “I think so anyway.”

“Do you have to sound so surprised about that?” Sirius asked with a teasing wink.

“Thank you,” she told him with a small smile. “Both of you,” she added, turning to Molly

“You're welcome,” Molly told her, reaching out to squeeze her hand, “that's what family is for.”

“You really think of me as family?” Draco asked, thinking back to the resentful thoughts she had had that morning about Sirius and Molly having breakfast with Harry.

“Of course I do,” Molly told her with exasperation, “Harry has been part of my family since he was about twelve years old; as his wife, and Orion’s mother, you’re family too.”

Draco’s expression fell. She was right; she was just a tag along, accepted only because of her place in Harry’s life. She had known it was true, it was hardly like the Weasleys would have taken her into their family if she and Harry hadn’t ended up together, but it still hurt quite a lot to hear it said.

Molly had noticed that the words hadn’t had quite the intended effect but it took running what she had said over in her head several times to work out what was wrong. “You know that even though we found you because of Harry, that doesn’t mean that that is the only reason you are one of us, right?”

Draco looked completely baffled by that; honestly she didn’t have a clue what Molly meant.

With a sigh, Molly tried to explain, “I can’t deny that without Harry and you striking up a relationship, we probably would never have gotten the chance to know each other.” Draco nodded at this and Molly went on, “but now that we have, I love you for you; you are a wonderful young woman, Draco, a great mother and someone I am proud to have as a member of my family. And even if you and Harry didn’t work out, and I highly doubt it will ever come to that,” she added quickly at Draco’s look of alarm, “you would still be family to me.”

“Really!” Molly insisted.

“And you?” Draco asked, turning to Harry’s godfather, who was trailing his fingers through Orion’s hair.

“What about me?” Sirius asked.

“Am I family to you for my own sake, or….”

“Oh Merlin, Draco! Do you really have to ask that?” he questioned, sounding quite alarmed. How had he failed to make it clear how important Draco was to him? Had she had these doubts all along? “Before you and Harry got married I was looking into and getting the paperwork to make you a Black,” he told her, “I want you as my family, Draco. No, you _ARE_ part of my family!”

“You would have done that?” Draco said in a breathy voice, taken aback by the gesture than she had never even known about. She had always been so grateful to Harry for giving her a name again, but Sirius would have done so too. “Thank you,” she said, pulling him into a hug, taking extra care not to crush the still sleeping Orion between them.

“We love you, Draco. Will you stop doubting that now?” Molly asked.

Draco chuckled at that as she released Sirius from her embrace. “I will do my best,” she promised.

“See that you do,” Sirius told her with mock sternness.

-#-

Harry’s friends had made several attempts, in the first hour or so of the train journey, to speak with him, but he had either almost ignored them completely, or given one word answers and so it had become clear to all of them that he was not in the mood to talk.

They let him be but that didn’t stop the worried looks sent his way that he caught out of the corner of his eye. He tried to not let them bother him, knowing that his friends were only trying to look out for him; but at that moment he couldn’t even think about anything other than Draco and their little boy waiting for him in Scotland.

At one point Pansy Parkinson had shown up and made a couple of less than amusing references to Draco’s absence. Harry wasn’t really in the mood to listen to Parkinson’s theories on how Draco had run off to spread her legs for a new man, nor how Draco had given up education so that she could spent the rest of her life ‘popping out mini-Potters’.

The others told her to shut up and go away, which of course she didn’t; Harry actually managed to ignore her for all of about thirty seconds before his already frayed temper snapped and he cast a silencing charm on her. It had put an amused smile on his face for a couple of minutes as he watched her continue her rant without being able to make a sound; her face turning red with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration. He gave her a patronizing little wave as she turned and left in a huff; probably to find someone to remove the spell and allow her to get on with her usual gossiping.

Harry felt a little more sociable after that, at least paying attention to what the other were saying, even if he couldn’t bring himself to join in; he even managed to eat some lunch when the trolley lady showed up.  And then Ginny had shown up, with another girl in tow. The red-headed girl had seemed far too pleased to see Harry without his wife and so he had quickly turned back to watching the scenery passing by. He was furious with her at the moment but he still loved the rest of the Weasleys and for that reason alone he would just ignore her until she could get over herself.

“You don’t seem very happy,” the blonde newcomer said to him, as she squished herself into the seat between him and Hermione.

They both turned to look at her, confused by why the girl would have chosen to sit where there was almost no space. It meant that Hermione had to shuffle a bit so that the other girl wasn’t practically sitting in her lap. Hermione looked a little flustered and once she had moved she busied herself in a conversation with Blaise. Harry was secretly pleased to see that they were excluding Ginny and it was left to a somewhat grumpy Ron to listen to Ginny’s rambling.

“I’m not,” he said a moment later, still staring at the girl.

She had dirty blonde hair that fell to her waist in straggly curls, that was held back from her face on one side by the wand she had tucked behind her ear and he could see what looked to be radish earrings and a necklace of butterbeer corks. All in all he wasn’t quite sure what to make of her but she was smiling at him kindly and somehow there was something in her expression that bothered him a lot less than how the others had been treating him all day.

“I’m Harry,” he said, holding his hand out for her to shake.

“Oh, I know,” she said dreamily, “I’m Luna, but lots of people call me Loony.”

“Loony…?” Harry asked, he could see why but didn’t want to be quite that rude about it.

“Oh yes, apparently I am quite unusual,” she told him, “but I suppose you are too, aren’t you.”

“Yes… apparently,” he said with a grimace, “perhaps I will just call you Luna.” He didn’t know how the girl felt about her nickname but it struck him as not a particularly nice thing to call someone; even if it was in jest.

“I think I would like that,” she said, her smile never faltering.

Harry wasn’t exactly sure what else to say so was kind of glad when Luna pulled out a magazine and started reading and he was able to return to staring out of the window; though he had to admit that his mood was once again lifted a little.

-#-

Sirius had, more or less, taken over looking after Orion by the time it reached mid-afternoon, though Draco did manage to stop pacing long enough to feed her son when he had starting crying for her.

“Wearing a hole in the carpet won’t actually get the train here any faster,” Sirius teased.

Draco turned and glared at him; she was trying to relax but she was just so anxious about seeing Harry that she couldn’t. _A bath, that’s what I need_ , she decided and headed for the bathroom.

“I didn’t mean that you should choose a different floor to wear a hole in,” Sirius called after her with a chuckle, which became a full laugh when Draco made a rude gesture over her shoulder. “You should show a little more respect for your elders,” he said through the door.

Draco, however, couldn’t hear him as she was already turning the taps onto full and was selecting a bath oil that would hopefully help her release some of the tension that was making her neck ache and giving her a headache.

She stripped off while waiting for the tub to fill and poured in a drizzle of the oil, releasing scents of bergamot and chamomile that were already helping her to relax a little in the comforting warmth of the steam that was building in the room. It wasn’t often she had time to do something like this and she found herself extra grateful for all the help and support that Sirius provided.

Once it was a little over half full she climbed into the almost hot water and lay back. Her eyes closed as she took calming breaths; but as the relaxing environment released the tension from her body, it also released the firm grip she had on her emotions and she suddenly realised she was crying.

She didn’t want to cry, she didn’t even really feel like crying but apparently she was going to. It felt like a purge and so perhaps this would help her resolve to be completely honest with her husband; which was what she knew their relationship needed.

-#-

Harry was mentally drained by the time the train pulled into the train station, not to mention how tired he was given that he had missed a full night’s sleep. And yet, he was alert and feeling decidedly impatient; this was the longest he had gone without laying eyes on his son since the day he was born, and he was yearning to wrap his wife in his arms and assure them both that they were going to be okay.

“Come on,” Ron called out, waving him over to where their friends were climbing into one of the horse-less carriages.

He climbed inside and was slightly surprised to find that once again Luna was in the seat between himself and Hermione. The blonde girl seemed to be explaining an article about rune theory, from her magazine, to Hermione, but given the expression on her face she was not convinced by whatever point Luna was trying to make.

“Nervous?” Blaise asked.

Harry turned and gave him a confused look.

“About figuring things out with Draco,” the Slytherin clarified.

“Oh, I guess,” Harry said, not really wanting to admit that he felt like his insides were squirming.

Blaise narrowed his eyes as though trying to figure Harry out, “Make this right,” he instructed.

“That’s the plan,” Harry said, peering out of the side of the carriage at the looming form of HogwartsCastle.

-#-

“Draco, that tie literally could not get any straighter,” Sirius told her, as he bobbed around with a grizzly Orion. “It will be fine, and Harry is going to hug you so tightly when he sees you and Orion that you will just get all messed up again,” he pointed out.

“Okay…” she said, taking a steadying breath. _It’s going to be fine, it’s going to be fine, it’s going to be fine_ , she chanted to herself in her head. “Let’s go,” she said, taking her son back.

The Hogwarts Express should have already arrived and by now the crowds of students would be making their way up to the castle. Draco never envied the first years, who would have to cross the massive Black Lake before they would be allowed to join the feast, but this year she was glad for the extra time that took, as it would allow her and Harry to speak quickly before the start of the sorting and welcoming feast.

-#-

Harry climbed up the front steps and through the large heavy doors of the castle, his eyes scanning around hopefully; he had assumed that Draco would be here, that she would want to see him as much as he did her, or at least she would understand that he needed to see Orion.

“Harry…” Hermione said, with a nudge to his side, and he followed where she was pointing.

He couldn’t hold back his grin as he saw Draco standing a short way away with Sirius, Orion in her arms. He had heard the expression ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ but it was not something he had ever bought into until the moment he laid his eyes upon his wife.

“I’ll meet you in there,” he told his friend; waiting for her nod of understanding before he hurried off towards Draco.

-#-

Draco knew the moment Harry spotted her; it was written all over his face and in that instant all the doubts that she had faded into insignificance. She knew they still had a lot to work through, a lot to talk about, but they would survive this.

“Hey, love,” Harry said, standing awkwardly a foot or so in front of her; smiling when Orion clearly recognised him and reached out a little hand.

“I will leave you to it,” Sirius said, placing a kiss on Draco’s temple and patting Harry on the shoulder as he headed towards the Great Hall.

“Thanks ,” Harry and Draco said in sync, watching him leave.

It was a tense and far more awkward moment than it should have been when they turned back to face each other.

“Can I…?” Harry asked, holding out his arms for Orion.

Draco nodded, “right, yes… of course…” she rambled. Quickly she handed over the little boy, whose fists clenched around a handful of Harry’s robes, as though worried that his father might disappear again. Harry rocked the little boy in his arms, pale blue eyes peering up at him.

“I missed you, little man,” Harry said, “I missed your Mummy too,” he added looking up at Draco.

“I’m sorry, I am so, so sorry,” Draco said, stepping forward right into her husband’s personal space and looking up at him with pleading eyes. She was not used to apologising, it was just not how she had been raised but seeing Orion in his father’s arms made the words practically tumble from her lips; and she meant every one of them. “I shouldn’t have left, I wish I hadn’t,” she told him.

“I know,” Harry said with a sad smile, “I wish you hadn’t either.” He bit his lip in thought, they should probably get into the Great Hall before they were missed, but he wasn’t going to make the mistake of prioritising anything above his family again. “Let’s go talk.”

Draco looked nervous at that, but after a few seconds she nodded in agreement and turned and led them down a nearby corridor. She looked at her hand in surprise when Harry linked his fingers with hers, and she looked up to see him smiling.

“Stop worrying, so much,” Harry told her, coming to a stop. “I was mad at you, but it is going to okay, I promise,” he said, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her lips. “I still love you; it is just that I need to understand.”

“I know,” Draco said sadly, as she leaned against his side, letting Orion grip at her finger.

“Draco, talk to me,” Harry pleaded. “Why did you do it, you forgave me for the mess with the train and everything right?”

Draco nodded.

“So why did you leave?”

“I swear I didn’t realise why at the time,” Draco tried to explain, unable to meet Harry’s eyes, “I figured it out today, talking with Molly and Sirius…”

“It’s okay, Love, you can tell me anything,” he reassured her.

“I wanted you to know what you would lose if you left us,” she almost whispered.

“If I… Wait, what?” Harry asked, trying to get Draco to turn and look at him, but she resisted, her eyes fixed to the floor. “Why on earth would you think I would leave you?” he asked.

“Because I am different now,” Draco said, her voice saddening rising and her eyes glaring angrily at him, “I am not like the person you married,” she tried to explain, growling her frustrations that she knew she wasn’t explaining it very well.

“I am sorry, but I really don’t understand what you mean,” Harry said with a puzzled expression on his face. “You are still the same person you have always been.”

“I… I am speaking my mind more, I am arguing back, I am like I was before the accident…” she ranted, kind of annoyed that her husband hadn’t spotted the changes in her; how had he not noticed.

“Oh that… Yeah, but love, I knew you were stubborn and argumentative before anything happened between us,” Harry told her with an affectionate chuckle.

“This isn’t funny!” Draco snarled.

“It is a bit,” Harry insisted, “Do you think that I want some meek little wife who will do what she is told?” he asked with a grin. “I mean where would be the fun in that?”

“Harry…!”

“Sorry, it’s just that you are amazing to me, I don’t want you to be anything other than who you are,” Harry tried to explain, “I love _YOU_ ;  I always knew that that person who is so strong and everything was hidden in there and this might surprise you, but I LOVE that you are getting that confidence back.”

“Really?” Draco questioned skeptically.

“Really!” he insisted, “I want you to be able to tell me when something is bothering you, I want you to argue back and I never want you to hide what you are feeling from me. But I promise you I have no intention of leaving you or Orion; do you really get how important to me you are?”

“I think I might be starting to,” Draco said with a crooked smile.

“But you have to promise never to leave like that again,” he told her very seriously, “and don’t you dare ever try to keep my son from me. Legally we got to keep him because he is MY heir, I never want to pull that card and I want us to be a family, but if pushed…”

“It’s okay,” Draco said, pressing a finger to his lips to stop him, “I know, I never want to keep you two apart. I regret doing it even this once. That said, I am his mother so do not think that I will EVER let you take my son from me!” she added with an intense stare.

“Okay, so we are agreed, Orion is stuck with both of us?” Harry said with a grin.

“Poor baby,” Draco said running her finger over her son’s cheek, which made the little boy smile and let out a huffy giggle.

“Come on,” Harry said, “we are really late for the feast. I bet we have already missed the sorting.”

“Oh how terrible…” Draco said sarcastically, taking Harry’s hand as they headed back towards the Great Hall.

As they pushed open one of the doors and stepped inside it was obvious that Harry was right, they had missed the sorting, but apparently they were in time for speeches. There was an unknown, short, toad-like woman who was dressed in distractingly pink clothes standing up the front and she stopped mid-way through her sentence to focus her glare at the couple that had interrupted her.

“Oh, erm… sorry, we will just…” Harry said, pointing awkwardly towards the Gryffindor table, and guiding his wife in that direction with an arm around her waist.

They both found themselves wondering who the new woman was and hopeful that the look of dislike she was sending their way didn’t bode as badly as they feared it might.


	37. First Consequences of an Inquisition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 37. Apologies for the slightly late update but was my baby brother's 18th birthday celebration yesterday and I got rather distracted writing Fragmented Soul with Strawberrygirl87 today. But much better a little late than never, right? :D 
> 
> Please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my brilliant beta, AchillesTheGeek.
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: I have had it point out to me that I actually had Umbridge start as DADA teacher at the beginning of their 5th year (which I had some how completely over looked in writing recent chapters). This has now been corrected and they were taught by an unknown (though dreadful and annoying) teacher for DADA in their Fifth year. Umbridge is now just starting at Hogwarts for the first time in their sixth year. (Thank you to Black.aj.Rose)

_ Previously: _

_As they pushed open one of the doors and stepped inside it was obvious that Harry was right, they had missed the sorting, but apparently they were in time for speeches. There was an unknown, short, toad-like woman who was dressed in distractingly pink clothes standing up the front and she stopped mid-way through her sentence to focus her glare at the couple that had interrupted her._

_“Oh, erm… sorry, we will just…” Harry said, pointing awkwardly towards the Gryffindor table, and guiding his wife in that direction with an arm around her waist._

_They both found themselves wondering who the new woman was and hopeful that the look of dislike she was sending their way didn’t bode as badly as they feared it might._

-#-

Harry and Draco made their way to the Gryffindor table under the watchful eyes of the entire student body and the row of professors sitting at the front of the room. The unknown woman, who they had interrupted, was still watching them intensely and Harry was sure her gaze had rested on Orion for a few moments longer than he would have liked; but once the Potters had sat down in the seats saved for them by Ron, Hermione and Blaise, she gave a nasty, false little cough and went on.

The first impression they had was that her voice was nothing shy of sickening. At first glance someone might buy into the cute and innocent image that she seemed to want to present to the world, but it all seemed just a little too fake for either Harry or Draco to be fooled. Their friends agreed with that assessment, if the looks on the faces were any indication.

"Who is she?" Harry whispered under his breath.

"Shh!" Hermione hissed at him, her attention focused on whatever the annoying woman was saying. He looked back at Draco, on his other side, who seemed to be listening almost as intently as Hermione, a distinctly unimpressed look on her face. Well at least he didn't have to worry about listening now, the two girls would tell him everything later anyway.

"That's Umbridge," Ron told him, leaning across the table slightly so Harry could hear his whispered words. "She's just some bloody bint from the ministry; something to do with school standards. I haven't really been listening; assumed Hermione would fill me in later."

Harry distinctly heard Blaise, who was on Draco's other side, and Dean, who was next to Ron, both snort at that. Harry smiled; it really was good to be back.

-#-

Albus Dumbledore had politely smiled his way through Dolores Umbridge's needlessly long speech before dinner, but as he sat in his office a couple of hours later, her words still weighed heavily on his mind. He had known that Cornelius was becoming increasing paranoid, particularly with regards to his unfounded belief that Dumbledore was on the verge of launching a coup, but that he was now meddling in school business worried the headmaster to the point where he would have to take action. He had never wanted to fight against the Ministry of Magic, but it seemed the Minister's paranoia was going to leave him little

He was glad that at least he had not had any vacant teaching positions for the ministry to usurp, now that Sirius was taking on the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor; it was even hopeful that the man might stay for at least two years, given that was how long Harry and Draco had of their education left.

However, that was a worry for next year; Dumbledore had the far more pressing issue of their new ‘High Inquisitor' to contemplate. She was going to be judging his professors and their teaching courses, deciding if they were suitable for purpose. He had great faith in Hogwarts, and in the teachers who worked there, but Umbridge was not the kind of woman who was going to appreciate his more... eccentric colleagues.

Umbridge had been appointed by the Minister of Magic himself, much to her smug delight, if he wasn't much mistaken and while he knew little about the woman, what he did know gave him a terrible feeling of foreboding. The legislation for control and registration of werewolves had been on the cusp of being passed for the previous year and it had taken a great deal of work to prevent that.

His other major concern was for the Potters; particularly Harry and Draco's guardianship of Orion. He knew enough of Umbridge's history to be aware that the woman was likely to take the issue personally. Besides simply having someone who was in the ministry's pocket present in the school all the time would mean that even the small problems that every parent inevitably encounters would be caught on record.

He got to his feet, popping a lemon drop into his mouth. "You would think an old fool like me would know better than to hope we could have an easy year, but alas," Dumbledore said to Fawkes, "it would seem we are to be tested once more."

The Phoenix let out a trill of agreement, tilting his head to brush his feathers against the headmaster’s raised hand.

-#-

The next day happened to be a Monday and as such that the Potter family could be found at around eight in the morning trying to get ready to go to breakfast. It was not helping that Sirius was having a crisis of faith in his own abilities; he had a class of third years straight after breakfast.

"They are just Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws," Harry told Sirius.

"Harry's right," Draco agreed, catching her husband and holding him still long enough to fix the mess he had made of tying his tie, "they're all suck-ups and know-it-alls. What's the worst that could happen?"

"They could start correcting everything I say," Sirius suggested, looking a little nauseous.

"Yes, okay," Draco said, moving her attentions onto Harry's hair, "admittedly that is a possibility..."

"Draco..!" Harry chastised, batting his wife's fussing hands away. He turned to Sirius and took him by the shoulders, looking him in the eye. "You have been reading and studying for months for this, and yes we did know about that," Harry added when Sirius looked surprised.

"You aren't nearly subtle enough to hide your shameful secret studying habits from us," Draco told him with a laugh as she went to make sure that Orion didn't need feeding or changing before getting him dressed to take him down to breakfast in the Great Hall; which they felt they should really do given it was the first day of term and Sirius was a professor now.

"The point is, that you are ready for this," Harry told his godfather firmly with a supportive smile.

He had no doubts that Sirius would be an excellent teacher if he could just get past his doubts, if he could find confidence in his own knowledge. Besides, he suspected that many of the students would be too nervous at being taught by the infamous now-proven-innocent ‘murderer', Sirius Black, to cause too much trouble. It seemed that his godfather was going to need a nudge to get there though.

Harry checked that his wife was in their bedroom, before he spoke again. "Are you going to give Draco a chance to question your Gryffindor bravery?" he asked in a whisper.

Sirius scowled at that, "I suppose I can't have that. Fine, come on; let's go help Draco wrestle your son into some clothes so we can go have some breakfast, he said, throwing an arm over Harry's shoulders.

Draco looked up as the two of them walked into the bedroom and saw that Sirius was almost smiling again, "Oh, so you remembered your Gryffindor courage then?" she teased and she expertly slid Orion's arm into a little blue jumper Molly had knitted.

Sirius groaned and ran a hand over his face.

"Oh, well I tried to warn you," Harry said, with barely restrained chuckles as Draco looked between the pair of them in confusion.

-#-

Hermione was sitting alone at the Gryffindor table having already finished a bowl of porridge and was re-reading the assigned text for Ancient Runes, which was her first class. She was quite used to being there before her friends; she no longer waited for Ron to drag himself out of bed as it took much longer now that he didn't have Harry there to hurry him up and, of course, Harry and Draco had a child to wash, feed and dress before they would turn up. It was often Blaise who would show up first and so she was expecting it to be him when the bench seat dipped as someone sat down next to her.

"Morning," she mumbled, not looking up, wanting to finish the paragraph she was reading.

"Hello," a voice, which was far too perky and feminine to be Blaise's, said happily.

Hermione looked up in surprise and met the silvery grey eyes of one Luna Lovegood. They continued to look at each other and so Hermione was glad when the other girl started piling breakfast onto her plate, her focus now entirely shifted to selecting foods. It seemed that the Ravenclaw girl had decided to take her breakfast at the Gryffindor table and having already been exposed to the blonde's particular brand of logic, Hermione thought perhaps it was probably best for her own sanity not to question it. It wasn't like it bothered her; after all it was now perfectly normal for Draco and Blaise to eat with them and they were Slytherins.

As though summoned by her thoughts Blaise arrived and took a seat opposite them. "We haven't even had a single class yet, what could you possibly be studying?" he asked her with a gesture to the book open in her hands.

"Ancient Runes," Hermione told him with a smile before returning her attention to the text in front of her; she had, of course, already read it once, but she wanted to be sure she knew all the relevant material.

Blaise selected a red apple and sharp knife, starting to slice off pieces and then using the knife to place them into his mouth with a motion of practiced ease. He was just about to eat the second piece when he seemed to finally notice Luna. "Hi," he said, lowering the knife and chunk of apple.

Luna looked up from where she had seemed to be making a banana sandwich. "Oh, hello again," she said dreamily when she recognised Blaise from the journey the day before.

"Why are you sitting here?" Blaise asked; feeling confused about the girl's presence, "you're a Ravenclaw, aren't you?"

"Why are you?" She responded, "Your uniform seems to indicate you are at the wrong table as well."

"My best friend happens to be married to a Gryffindor," Blaise explained sounding slightly exasperated, "I sit here so that we can all sit together."

"I don't really have a lot of friends..."

"Shocking..." Blaise muttered quietly under his breath.

"...but I suppose that means I could test out eating meals at all the tables," she said, her voice trailing off as her eyes became unfocused, and the Slytherin assumed that she was probably considering the merits of experimenting with where she ate.

A hushed buzz of noise flittered across the students seated at their various tables and it became obvious what had caught their attention. Near the entrance to the Great Hall, Umbridge was standing with a clipboard that she was floating next to her, as if holding it was a task far beneath her. Even Hermione put down her book to watch what was going on.

"Yes, yes," Umbridge was saying, her raised voice carrying across the room, "if you would ensure that you are seated at the correct table please, and by year, if you will," her words a request, but it was in that way that adults suggest something with the expectation that you will comply. "And first years closest to the head table."

-#-

"What's going on?" Sirius asked, as he, Harry and Draco reached the Great Hall; however, they were unable to get inside as a crowd was building around the doorway.

"I WILL HAVE ORDER!" a high pitched piercing voice bellowed from inside the room.

"Is that that Umbridge woman?" someone nearby asked.

"Come on," Harry said, taking Draco's hand and keeping her close as he pulled her through the gathering of students; a path clearing around him when they realised he was trying to get through. _Great_ , he thought to himself sarcastically; _bet they are going to want to do deal with whatever is going on now._

"All students will sit at their _CORRECT_ house tables, and you will all serve a night's detention for every minute you refuse to comply!" she told them angrily.

"Is she serious?" Draco whispered to Harry.

He shrugged, "I don't care how serious she is, I am not going to let anyone break this family up."

Draco grinned, "Ah, so Mr Potter, you can learn something," she teased.

"Mr Potter," Umbridge said as she came over to him, her voice becoming overly sweet again, just as it had been during her speech the night before. "If you would be so kind as to take yourself over to the Gryffindor table, I think you will find your friend is waiting for you there."

Harry looked across the hall and spotted a very angry looking Hermione sitting a little way down their table, her arms crossed over her chest and glaring daggers at Umbridge.

"Mrs Potter," Umbridge said, turning to Draco, "If you would take a seat with your friend at the Slytherin table," she instructed.

Draco glanced over at the Slytherin table and noticed that Blaise was there, looking perhaps even more livid than Hermione did. Her friend was running a hand over his own arm, and Draco realised that his location at the Slytherin table, where he was surrounded by their sneering classmates, had not probably been voluntary.

 "...and I think it would be appropriate if you found someone else to care for your... infant whilst you are in public areas of the school," she added with a lingering glance of disapproval at the wriggling boy in Draco's arms.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Harry yelled.

"Language, Mr Potter, that will be ten points from Gryffindor," Umbridge said, a smile on her lips, "do not make me make it twenty or else I will have to assign a detention as well," she warned.

"No, this is insane," Harry ploughed on recklessly, "I thought we were supposed to be promoting house unity."

"Dumbledore won't allow this," Sirius said finally making it through the crowd to stand on Draco's other side.

"The Ministry said we could raise our son, and Dumbledore himself has given us permission to..."

"Dumbledore is not the only person with authority in such matters, the Minister of Magic himself has granted me the power to whip this institution into shape," Umbridge said pompously, "before Hogwarts becomes any more of an insult to our magical heritage."

"You can't do this," Draco said firmly, worried that if this woman got her way she and Blaise would be forced to spend every meal with Pansy and the other Slytherins who she honestly didn't trust not to do something like poison her.

"ENOUGH!" Dumbledore's voice bellowed and the crowd still gathered in the door way cleared to allow him through; the other heads of all of the houses following after him. "What is going on?" he demanded.

"I am simply informing all students that they are required to sit at their relevant house tables during meals," Umbridge told him; puffing herself up as though it would help even out the dramatic height difference.

"And you believe you have the authority to implement such a change?" the headmaster asked, peering down at her over the top of her glasses.

"By order of Cornelius Fudge," she told him, handing over a piece of parchment, "I think you will find it all in order."

Dumbledore read it over twice, before realising that she spoke the truth. _Always a first time for everything_ , he thought to himself, but he maintained his calm. "It would seem that at this time we have to abide by Madam Umbridge's insistence that all students sit at their own house tables."

"But Sir...," Harry interrupted.

"Now, Harry, I am asking you nicely to take a seat with Miss Granger; Draco I suggest for his own safety you allow Orion to go with Harry, but then I ask that you will kindly take a seat at the Slytherin table," Dumbledore instructed, his voice terse and his eyes apologetic, "though I will insist that Madam Umbridge permits that you are not required to sit with the other sixth years out of concerns for your own safety."

"I would rather go hungry," Draco said bitterly.

"You'll do no such thing!" Harry insisted angrily, as he felt his rage reach boiling point; he never wanted his family to experience hunger like he had his childhood. "We will eat in our rooms, after all we wouldn't want to ruin your precious order or let anyone find out that we are teenage parents," he told her.

He didn't want to hang around long enough for Umbridge to respond or throw a detention his way, and so he quickly wrapped his arm around his wife's waist and led his family back through the once-again parting crowds, and in the direction of the kitchens; leaving Dumbledore and Sirius to deal with the fallout.

-#-

It had been a long day. A really long day and the best thing Draco found she could say about it, as she made her way back towards her and Harry's rooms, was that she at least hadn't seen that Umbridge woman again. Even thinking about the events from the morning still made her feel angry.

A large group of their friends, which was pretty much a lot of Gryffindors, Blaise, and some Ravenclaw girl whose name Draco couldn't remember, had opted for lunch in Harry and Draco's rooms. It was a bit crowded but still preferable to the Great Hall. It was hardly surprising that the conversation was focused mostly on Hogwarts' first High Inquisitor and what had happened at breakfast.

According to Hermione, Blaise and Luna, Umbridge had had several of the more agreeable students from the sixth and seventh years ‘help' the more resistant of the students to their ‘appropriate' seats. Blaise had the bruise on his arm to prove it. As if that wasn't bad enough Umbridge had then used spells to ensure said students remained where they had been seated until the end of the meal.

It certainly went a long way to explain why Blaise and Hermione had looked quite so infuriated and yet had not been confronting the evil woman responsible, but it did nothing to ease the worries they all had over just how bad things at Hogwarts might get.

Draco pushed open the door and saw Harry inside where he was sat on the floor with Orion. "Hi," he said, looking up at her with a smile.

Their little boy was on his belly, trying to push himself up with his arms, with moderate success given he was only three months old. Harry hadn't had any classes first thing in the morning and nor in the afternoon and Draco had the period just before lunch free, so Orion had, more or less, been passed between them all day

"Hello," Draco said, as she took a seat on the floor next to her family and stole a kiss from Harry. "Have you two been having fun?"

"He has," Harry told her, "his grip is something fierce now; I was trying to burp him but all he wanted to do was pull my hair," he explained, rubbing at the nape of his neck with one hand.

“Aww,” Draco cooed teasingly, “my poor abused husband and my vicious child; what a wonderful family to come home to.”

“So, how was the first day back?” Harry asked.

“Much as to be expected, given this morning” she told him with a shrug, “I was just glad for it to be over; I have gotten used to being able to spend all my time with Orion.”

Harry nodded his agreement. Part of him wanted to ask her how she thought he had felt being away from him for a whole night, but they were moving passed that and he didn’t want to bring it up again; not without a good reason anyway.

“No Sirius?” Draco asked, looking around the room. She hadn’t missed the tense moment and wanted to change the topic quickly. It had been a great relief they had managed to settle their differences, but, despite his reassurances, she still half believed that he would change his mind eventually and she had no desire to encourage it.

“Not yet,” Harry said, “I assume he is still in his classroom, he had lessons all day; but I don’t imagine that he will be long given he won’t have any homework to mark yet.” Draco nodded her agreement.

-#-

Remus always felt miserable in the days following the full moon, but even more so on this occasion. After the previous one he had had Sirius with him for the duration of his recovery but it was his bad luck for his most recent transformation to have fallen so close to the start of term.

He packed the few items he had with him, which was little more than a change of clothes and the picture of himself with Sirius and James, throwing them haphazardly into his old, worn-out backpack. ‘ _But that was kind of redundant thinking that_ ,’ he thought miserably, ‘ _everything I own is worn out_.’

Even my own body, he thought wearily, as he looked down and took in his frail form that was swamped in hole-ridden clothes. It wasn’t as though he had anyone he wanted to smarten up for; Sirius would be his best friend no matter his appearance, though he wondered if Draco would find his presence more tolerable if he didn’t look quite so bedraggled. It was a thought worth considering; on another day, of course, when he wasn’t facing the heart-wrenching loneliness that returning to the empty house in Grimmauld Place was bound to be.

"Remus..." Sirius' voice carried along the length of the medical wing.

The werewolf plastered a smile on his face and turned to his friend. "How was the first day, Professor?" he asked him.

"Oh, yeah, it was fine," he said dismissively. "I didn't think I would get back here before you left."

"I didn't think you would have time in your busy schedule, so I was just going to go," Remus said far more bitterly than he had intended. It really did feel like between teaching, helping raise Orion and being a parent to Harry and Draco, Sirius' time was all used up and it was making Remus yearn for the days when it was only James and Lily who he had to compete with for the man's time.

"Nonsense," Sirius barked, letting out a little laugh, "I will always have time for you, old friend."

Remus wasn't entirely convinced but that the animagus had spent the last two full moons with him made him feel selfish for wanting more. After all he was a grown man now; Harry, Draco and Orion needed him but Remus was starting to think it was time he stopped clinging to his childhood and found a way to cope with the lonely future that lay ahead.

"I will come over to the house at the weekend," Sirius promised, taking in the morose expression of the werewolf's face. "Just because you can't live with us here, doesn't change the fact that you have become part of our family, okay?"

Remus nodded, again not convinced by the man's words, but he knew that Sirius meant well, and for now, at least, that could be enough. Worried if he spoke he might let Sirius see how old and broken and lonely he was feeling, Remus pulled Sirius into a hug.

"I'll see you soon," Sirius promised.

"Yes, soon," Remus agreed, forcing a smile and taking a beeline for the door.

"Soon..." Sirius promised again under his breath as he watched his friend leave.

-#-

When Sirius still hadn’t shown up by dinner time, Harry and Draco were a little concerned; not to mention curious as to how his first day as a Hogwarts professor had gone. Neither of them really wanted to face the Great Hall and so they opted to have Dobby bring their food to their room. They had nearly finished their meal when Sirius finally showed up.

“And what time do you call this, young man?” Draco said with a teasing grin as she looked up.

“Young man…?” Sirius queried with a chuckle as he closed the door behind him, “Harry, I think your wife is trying to seduce me with flattery.”

“Should I be worried?” Harry asked with mock concern.

“Don’t be a prat,” Draco told him, giving him a playful shove.

Sirius laughed. He messed Harry’s hair and smiled down at Orion, who sleeping in a bassinette that he was definitely getting a bit big for; he made a mental note that they would have to get the cot set up soon.

“So are you going to tell us about how the lessons went?” Harry asked.

“Or what happened to you after?” Draco added, with an eyebrow raised in question.

“Oh,” Sirius said, a little sadness in his eyes, “I just went to see Remus off; he was heading back to Grimmauld place this evening.”

“He is going back there? To live by himself?”Draco asked in surprise; though now she thought about it she didn’t know what she had expected.

She and the werewolf still weren’t exactly close but she knew that Remus had been trying his utmost to be good to her and to Orion; the idea of him rattling around in that dark old house all on his own made her feel sorry for him. They should have been able to have let him try to be part of their family, maybe stay with them at Hogwarts, but with his… condition, it just would never be an option. That would almost certainly give the ministry to take away their guardianship of Orion and she would never feel sorry enough for anyone to take such a gamble on her baby boy.

“He doesn’t really have anywhere else to go.” Sirius gave her a nod, as he explained. “He will be back in Hogsmeade for the full moons though, so I will make sure to spend plenty of time with him then,” he added.

“It doesn’t seem right,” Harry said, “but with him being… you know…”

“A werewolf,” Sirius amended for him.

“Well yeah, and I don’t think badly of him because of that,” Harry pointed out hastily, “but if Child Services find out that we were raising Orion around Remus then…”

“You don’t have to explain it to me,” Sirius told him firmly, “nor Remus. We might not like it, but we do understand. And it is likely to get worse before it gets better.”

“What do you mean?” Draco asked, glancing at her husband to see if he was any the wiser, and turning back to Sirius what it was clear that he wasn’t.

“Umbridge,” Sirius said with a scowl; it wasn’t a look that often graced his face and Harry had always thought it might have been one solely reserved for Snape. “I was talking to Professor McGonagall about her earlier; apparently she is the one behind the additional werewolf legislation they have been trying to put through in the last year.”

“Great,” Harry said sarcastically; letting out a groan and running his hand through his hair in frustration, “because we really needed another reason to dislike that woman.”


	38. Start of a Long Year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 38.   
> Okay, so I am going away next week, and I am also struggling to keep up with these updates, SO... I have made a decision that I am going to take a few weeks off. I have been going with this almost continuously since December and need a break. I will not be posting updates for this story until the 20th Oct at the earliest. This is NOT me giving up on this story, I will definitely be back. Hopefully in that time I will have managed to get more on top of this story. :)
> 
> In the meantime, please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my brilliant beta, AchillesTheGeek.
> 
> (I have also posted the updated version of chapter 4 - same story, improved quality)

_ Previously: _

_“What do you mean?” Draco asked, glancing at her husband to see if he was any the wiser, and turning back to Sirius what it was clear that he wasn’t._

_“Umbridge,” Sirius said with a scowl; it wasn’t a look that often graced his face and Harry had always thought it might have been one solely reserved for Snape. “I was talking to Professor McGonagall about her earlier; apparently she is the one behind the additional werewolf legislation they have been trying to put through in the last year.”_

_“Great,” Harry said sarcastically; letting out a groan and running his hand through his hair in frustration, “because we really needed another reason to dislike that woman.”_

-#-

When they woke up the next morning there was a letter from Dumbledore on the table, requesting that they join him for breakfast in his office. They found this request particularly odd, given that neither of them could remember the man ever missing the morning meal in the Great Hall; but he was the headmaster, so they would of course comply. Neither of them had a lesson first thing and they decided they would probably be able to return to their rooms to fetch their books in good time to get to Herbology, this being the only class that the two of them were sharing this year. They would have to come back to their rooms by then anyway, to hand over the care of their son to Sirius.

As such it didn’t take long for them to wash and dress themselves or Orion; they were far too used to juggling the numerous morning tasks between them now for it to cause them much difficulty. Though Draco was less than impressed when their son decided to wet his nappy just as they were almost ready to go,.

“Orion, baby, I love you, but you have your father’s sense of timing,” Draco said with a sigh as she lay the little boy down on his changing mat.

“What’s wrong with my sense of timing?” Harry demanded with a small frown.

“Nothing really,” Draco said with a cheeky smirk, “I just enjoy blaming things on you.”

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh, as Harry pouted, “Sometimes I think you just keep me around for your own amusement,” he said as he grabbed a clean nappy and passed it over to his wife.

“Not JUST for that,” she said, with a full teasing grin on her face.

“Father figure still in the room,” Sirius said, quickly, “one who does NOT want to hear other reasons you keep him around, Draco.”

“I was going to say, that I keep him around because I love him, but if you will insist on twisting my words…”

Sirius groaned, and it was Harry who was laughing this time. “I love you too,” Harry said as he leaned down for a quick kiss from his wife, before giving Sirius a wink.

“You two will be the death of me, I’m sure,” he said, shaking his head as he retreated back to the safety of his room to get dressed for the day. He figured he should probably have breakfast in the Great Hall with the other professors, even if the Potters’ presence had been requested elsewhere.

“Okay, little man,” Harry said, picking Orion up into his arms, as Draco could go wash her hands. “We are going to go see what Dumbledore wants,” he told him, Orion babbling and curling his little fingers in Harry’s robe. “We just have to wait for Mummy.”

A moment later Draco rejoined them, and the young family made their way across the castle to the headmaster’s office, their curiosities piqued and their stomachs rumbling. It was apparent that Dumbledore had been waiting for them because as they approached, the ugly stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance moved, permitting them to climb the stairs. Draco rapped her knuckles on the door twice and they were called inside.

-#-

There were several occasions when Harry and Draco had been inside the Headmaster's large office, but neither of them could recall a time when it had looked quite so cramped.

“The house elves were rather enthusiastic about providing our breakfast feast, I am afraid,” Dumbledore told them with a small chuckle. “They do not often get the opportunity to cater for me privately and I fear that they rather felt the need to prove themselves.”

The headmaster was sat on the far side of a large wooden table that now occupied the majority of the floor space; not that much of the table was visible beneath the variety of dishes that seemed to contain everything one could think of to eat for breakfast: chopped fruits, cooked and cured meats, bread prepared in at least ten different ways, porridge, waffles, cereals, sausages, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, croissant, brioche, pancakes… and that was without starting on numerous items that Harry wasn’t even sure he could name.

“Come. Sit,” Dumbledore instructed, when the two teenagers remained standing in stunned silence just inside the door, giving them a wave towards the two chairs opposite him at the table. There was also a small, very padded, slightly reclining high chair, which was obviously placed there with Orion in mind. “I thought you might appreciate both being able to enjoy this meal without your hands being occupied,” the headmaster said with a gentle smile as they spotted it.

“Thank you, Sir,” Harry said nervously; stepping forward, easing his son into the new seat and strapping him in with great care. The chair was, unsurprisingly, magical; colourful lights started floating in front of Orion, and he let out huffy sounds of delight as he waved his hands at them. In the meantime, Draco had sat herself in one of the chairs and seemed to be trying to decide where to start.

“Please, do indulge yourselves,” the headmaster said with a warm smile, “I thought it best that we meet, to discuss privately some of the regulations that our new High Inquisitor is imposing.”

“Can’t you stop her?” Harry asked. And if there was a little more aggression in his voice than he had intended, who could blame him? The odious woman was proving to be the greatest threat to his family since Lucius Malfoy.

“Alas, my boy, if only it were that simple,” the headmaster said sadly.

“Sorry, sir, I mean no disrespect, but isn’t this your school?” Draco asked politely, as she helped herself to croissants and fruit. “Surely it is your decision?”

Dumbledore gave her a wry smile. “While technically that is the case, unfortunately my influence may not be as complete, in the decisions regarding this school, as you believe.”

“The governors?” Draco asked, surprise in her eyes. “They want this Umbridge woman here?”

“High Inquisitor Umbridge was appointed by request of the Minister of Magic himself,” Dumbledore informed them, leaning forward to meet Draco’s expression of curiosity with intensity, as though encouraging her to keep thinking on the matter.

“I am guessing that you think that it might not have exactly been his idea?” Draco asked, making Dumbledore smile and give her a small nod.

Harry had been torn between enjoying a bacon sandwich and watching his happy son, whilst listening to them talk, but now turned to look between them.

“Okay, feel like I am missing something here,” he told them.

“If the Minister suggests that he send in an inspector to ensure that Hogwarts’ professors are up to standard, it would be pretty difficult for the board of governors to reject the offer,” Draco explained, looking questioning at Dumbledore. “So, you think this is a very clever way of getting some degree of control over what goes on in the school, Sir?”

The headmaster gave a sad nod of confirmation. It was precisely his concern about the motivations and machinations behind the appointment of Dolores Umbridge that had led him to summon them to breakfast with him. It seemed likely that the upcoming months would be difficult for all at Hogwarts, but likely for none more than the Potter family, who seemed to somehow be in the middle of the whole debacle; Dumbledore couldn’t help but worry about how they would get through this latest challenge.

“But you don’t think it is the Minister who is after that control?” Harry asked with a thoughtful frown; Draco was much better at this political manoeuvring than he ever would be.

“Oh, I am quite certain that Cornelius Fudge will have been delighted with the idea,” Dumbledore explained, “and more than happy to co-operate with the individual who suggested the concept, but…”

“Lucius…” Draco hissed out between her teeth, dropping her half eaten croissant back to her plate.

 “Malfoy?” Harry questioned in surprise, his own breakfast now completely forgotten too. It hadn’t occurred to him that the man could be behind Umbridge’s presence in the school, but he could certainly believe the man capable of such an act. Now that the idea was in his head, he realised that he shouldn’t put anything beyond the man.

“Do you know any other Lucius?” Draco demanded snappishly, leaning forward and running her hands through her hair. “Sorry,” she muttered, not having meant to take her frustrations out on her husband.

Harry reached out and grasped her hand for a moment. He understood; his own mind was having a small temper tantrum too, ranting inwardly about the unfairness of it all. “You think he is behind this?” he managed to ask the headmaster, his voice surprisingly calm.

“I believe we would be foolish not to consider the possibility,” Dumbledore told them with a nod.

“This is all to mess with me?” Draco asked, looking up with concern written all over her face; she felt daft for having believed that Lucius might back off now that he would have a new heir soon.

“It may not have been his only motivation,” the headmaster said. Draco and Harry shared a puzzled look before he spoke again. “There have been... questions asked, with regards to your accident.”

“That was nearly eighteen months ago,” Harry pointed out with confusion, “why now?”

“Are they trying to blame the school or Professor Snape?” Draco asked worriedly. “But why, I thought that Lucius and Professor Snape were friends? He helped my mother with the potions to get pregnant again, why would Lucius want to punish him for his role in my accident now?”

“Alas I cannot answer, for I simply do not know,” Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chair as he sipped at a cup of tea. “That would have to be a question for our esteemed potions master. While I felt it was important to discuss these theories with you both, I had another reason to request your presence,” he told them. “I must ask that you obey High Inquisitor Umbridge’s ruling regarding seating arrangements at meal times.”

“What?” Harry exclaimed in surprise, “you can’t be serious, Sir.” Draco simply looked horrified.

“I am extremely serious, my boy,” the headmaster said sternly, peering over the top of his half moon spectacles, “we cannot hope to quickly comprehend her purpose here, and so to take rash action at this point would be unhelpful and problematic.”

“Can we not just attend meals in the hall?” Draco suggested.

Dumbledore sighed. “A decree has been laid down that all students are required to attend at least two meals a day, during the week, and one meal a day at the weekend, in the Great Hall.”

Harry gaped at the old and somewhat weary-looking old man. “Can she do that?” he asked.

“It appears so, at least for the moment; and I ask you to not cause trouble,” the headmaster requested with pleading eyes. “I do assure you that you are not alone in this and a small measure of tolerance for the ministries interferences, may make the issues, which we are likely to encounter in due course, more manageable.”

The young couple shared an uncertain look, before nodding their, extremely reluctant, agreement. “You think this is going to get worse before it gets better?” Draco asked, already knowing the answer, smiling when Harry reached for her hand again.

“Don’t worry, we will figure it out together,” Harry promised.

Dumbledore smiled at the young family proudly; if anyone could survive this it would be them, but he would have to keep a close eye on Umbridge, because her disapproval of Harry, Draco and Orion could potentially have devastating results.

-#-

As they had promised, both Harry and Draco attended lunch in the Great Hall later that day, and sat, grumpily, at their separate tables. Practically all of the school was in attendance, though this wasn’t any real surprise. For most of them, Umbridge’s decree had changed nothing; the majority of the students rarely strayed from those within their own houses most of the time anyway and so now being restricted to at least spend meals with their similarly sorted peers was no hardship at all.

Apparently Dumbledore had, at least, managed to persuade Umbridge that the sorting by year was unnecessary. When Blaise and Draco sat themselves a good distance from the other sixth years, none of the staff made any attempt to correct this. Nor was any action taken when Ginny unexpectedly sat down next to Harry with a smile on her face.

“Unless you are here to apologise to Harry…” Ron snarled at her.

“… and intend to apologise to Draco…” Harry added, cradling Orion closer to his chest protectively.

“… then you can shove off,” Ron finished, his tone deadly serious. Even Hermione didn’t seem to object to the way her friends were speaking to the red-headed girl.

Ginny said nothing. She simply huffed slightly as she moved off down the table to sit with a few others from her own year. When Harry glanced over at the Slytherin table, both Draco and Blaise were looking decidedly pleased that she had been dealt with so swiftly; but Harry could admit, at least to himself, that he was a little hurt that she would rather sit away from them than learn to accept his marriage and young family.

Dinner was looking to be much the same, just as boring and morose as lunch; Harry took his seat with Hermione and Ron, while Draco went to sit at the Slytherin table with Blaise.

“Apparently that Umbridge woman was inspecting the fifth year Muggle Studies class today,” Neville was saying to Seamus as they sat down next to Ron, across from Harry.

“Is there any pattern to which professors she is ‘inspecting’?” Dean asked, with air quotes to indicate his scepticism.

“No idea,” Seamus told him with a shrug, “it all seems a bit vague, if you ask me.”

Umbridge had not really done much in her first few days at the school and yet she had completely failed to endear herself, in any respect, to the majority of the student population. The staff didn’t seem particularly fond of her either given the looks some of them had been throwing in her direction.

The real trouble was that the general idea of inspecting the teaching standards was a favourable concept, which made it very difficult to argue again and, as Draco had realised over breakfast, probably why the school governors had accepted the appointment of a High Inquisitor. It was just that,  Umbridge being a woman with such bitter prejudices and unwavering loyalty to the Minister, there was little hope for an unbiased review.

“She sure doesn’t like you though, Harry,” Neville said in barely more than a whisper, glancing up at the head table where Umbridge was sitting glaring daggers in Harry’s direction.

“I am not sure if it me she doesn’t like, or Orion,” Harry told his friends, looking down at the three month old, sleeping peacefully in the crook of his arm.

“Why would she have an issue with Orion?” Dean asked with confusion. “He’s just a baby.”

“Yeah, it’s hardly his fault he has a Slytherin for a mother,” Ron said.

Harry would have taken that badly but he knew well enough by this point that the red-head was just teasing. Nonetheless, he still hit Ron over the back of the head for good measure.

-#-

Draco stifled a laugh as she saw Harry clip Ron over the back of the head, much to the amusement of the Gryffindors around him; it was bitter-sweet because she wanted to be sitting with them. A large part of it was that she still hated being separated from Orion at all, and that she missed having meals with Harry; but there was also part of her that was surprised to realise how much she missed the natural banter that seemed to happen between the now sixth-year Gryffindors.

“Umbridge is glaring daggers at your husband and son again,” Blaise said casually.

Draco’s eyes flicked to the front of the Great Hall, and sure enough Blaise was right. She scowled at the malice in the other woman’s eyes. A sudden anger flared within her, hating that Umbridge was looking at her husband and her son like that? It made her want to scratch the High Inquisitor’s eyes out. She took some deep breaths to try to calm herself down, her hands clenched painfully are her cutlery, somewhat shocked at the strength of her feelings.

"Draco...?" Blaise was looking at her with concern, but the blond simply shook her head; she couldn't handle platitudes and sympathy right now and thankfully Blaise understood enough to return to his own breakfast.

She understood why they were going to allow Umbridge the small victories, in the hope that it would stave off, or at least give them a fighting chance with, the bigger battles; but she despised the idea and hated that she really had no choice in the matter. It was difficult to let the vindictive toad of a woman separate her from Harry and Orion, even for just short periods of time. They had worked so hard to stay together and the woman had waltzed in and her first act seemed to have been intended to blown them apart. After the discussion with Dumbledore, she was worried that this was a deliberate plan, and even Harry’s assurances fell short of easing her worries.

She glanced down the Slytherin table to where the other sixth years were sitting. Draco knew she couldn’t trust them; they had abandoned her after the accident and cast her out of their exclusive social network before her disinheritance was even official. But the primary point of concern  was still Pansy’s ongoing viciousness towards her. Draco had really hoped Pansy's father would have found the other Slytherin girl a new husband during the holidays, and then she would ease off, but it seemed that he had failed to do so, or else Pansy disliked the new choice intensely; either way, Pansy seemed to loathe Draco every bit as much as she had before.

As though she had been able to hear Draco’s thoughts, the pug faced girl turned to smirk in Draco’s direction, holding up her hand and wiggling her fingers in a mocking wave. Draco shuddered inwardly and sent back a blatantly false smile, which was closer to a sneer, before turning back to her dinner.

 Draco thought she had hated the other Slytherins’ attitude before, but it was nothing like the rage that boiled in her gut now. Before, their coldness had only meant she’d had to forsake her own house table; now, because she couldn’t trust them, she was insisting that Orion spend all meal times at the Gryffindor table with his father, even though being apart from him cut her like a knife. She hated it; if they couldn’t all be together, her little baby boy should be with her at least as often as he was with Harry, but she wouldn’t risk her son being targeted.

“Mrs Potter,” Professor Snape’s droll voice said from behind her.

She turned and looked up at him, having been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed his approach; she mentally berated herself for having let her guard down, leaving her vulnerable, in what she had to regard as, somewhere potentially dangerous. _Stupid Gryffindor influences_ , she cursed inwardly.

“Professor,” Blaise greeted formally.

“Good evening, sir,” Draco said politely.

Snape narrowed his eyes at the pair of them before handing over a neatly folded piece of parchment to Draco. The potions master seemed to be trying to figure what was going on with the blond's obvious tense mood; Blaise suspected that it might be his way of telling Draco to calm down.

“Do not be late,” he instructed firmly, before sweeping out of the room.

Blaise stared after the potions master in surprise, while Draco turned to the parchment in her hand and unfolded it.

**_Mrs Potter,_ **

**_I will be available to provide instruction in the art of potion making for you and your husband for precisely one hour, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting at 7p.m._ **

**_Professor S. Snape_ **

Draco grinned, that was definitely what she needed: an hour of potions. Of course then she remembered that it meant being in a room with Harry and Professor Snape together for a full hour, and the smile slipped from her face. It really was going to be a long year.

-#-

Having handed Orion over to Sirius, who had told them not to worry and seemed genuinely delighted to get to spend an hour or so taking care of his grandson, Harry and Draco headed towards the potions classroom on the dungeon levels of the castle.

“This was a really bad idea,” Harry grumbled, “Snape hates me.”

“ _PROFESSOR_ Snape might hate you less if you could actually remember to use his respectful title,” Draco said under her breath.

“Funny,” Harry said sarcastically, “but I really don’t think that is what is behind the years of tormenting me.”

“He doesn’t torment you,” Draco said, with an exasperated sigh.

Harry just gave her a sceptical look but said nothing; whatever they wanted to call it, whatever they called him, Severus Snape was never going to be nice about teaching Harry Potter.

"It is only for two hours a week, love," Draco reassured him, with a patronising smirk and a pat on his arm. "Think of it as good training for all those really mean people the Ministry makes Aurors deal with."

"Thanks for that, I feel so much better now," Harry said, sarcastically, as he pushed open the door to the potions classroom.

"Mr and Mrs Potter," Snape's familiar voice said. He was standing up close to his desk and turned to look at them wearing very much the same expression he did whenever faced with any group of students. In that moment the slim shadow of a hope that Harry had had, an idea that the potions master just might be a little easier to deal with in their private lessons, evaporated. "Take your seats," he instructed as he linked his hands behind his back and waited expectantly.

Draco quickly made her way through the classroom and took a seat somewhere near the middle. Harry followed and sat down next to her; they both removed their textbooks from their bags and looked up at the professor expectantly.

"I will permit you to remain in these seats for today's lesson," Snape explained, his lips drawn into a thin line of disapproval, "as you will simply be using this hour to familiarise yourselves with the Restoration Potion. However…"

"You want us to spend the whole hour reading about one potion?" Harry asked in disbelief. "Sir," he added quickly as an afterthought, remembering what Draco had said on their way over.

"Yes, Mr Potter," Snape said ,glaring at Harry through narrowed eyes. Harry though that it sounded as though the professor was speaking through clenched teeth. "And I will, in future, expect you to sit at least a few seats apart," the potions master added, going back to his interrupted train of thought.

Harry looked grumpy about this but was still more bothered by spending a whole hour re-reading one page of instructions when he could be back in their rooms with Orion and Sirius. "Surely it won't take an hour to..."

"Perhaps," Snape interrupted,  "if you devote this small segment of your precious time to studying the textbook _BEFORE_ you attempt to brew your first NEWT level potion, your wife and I might survive the hazards of being present for the attempt."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, his own teeth clenched to keep from saying something irrevocably stupid.

"The instructions can be found on page 172," he informed them curtly, "I expect you both to be able to brew this potion perfectly during Thursday's session."

"Yes, sir," Draco said clearly, having already begun flicking through her book to find the page before Snape was even done speaking.

"Failure to do so will mean you will return to this room each evening until you successfully complete it," Snape told them, though clearly directing his remarks almost entirely at Harry. "I will be most... displeased should I have to spend additional evenings trying to compensate for your incompetence."

"Yes, sir," Harry droned quietly, putting his elbow on his desk and resting his chin on his palm as he settled in for a very boring hour of reading.

-#-

"Remus?" Molly's kindly voice called out, as she stepped out of the fireplace into Grimmauld Place's kitchen about a week after the start of term and found it empty.

Sirius had asked her to visit his old friend when she could, given that he would rarely be free to do so. He knew better than most what it was like to feel like to be alone in the world and, while that wasn’t entirely true of Remus’ current situation,  Sirius could well imagine that Remus might feel that way being in that old house by himself.

Molly had agreed, of course. She was so impressed with Sirius and the man he was becoming. She had been worried when he first came back into Harry's life that he was going to be a terrible influence on the teen, but she had been forced to accept that he was taking to his responsibilities as a father, and even a grandfather, figure very well.

Not wanting to disturb the awful portrait of Walburga Black, Molly didn't call out again as she made her way through the hallway. She checked each of the rooms on the ground floor and found them all just as empty, and almost completely devoid of signs of life; the only evidence that anyone had even been in any of the rooms was a half empty bottle of scotch and a glass, both on a small table next to one of the chairs in the front room. Molly frowned at that for a moment before deciding to check upstairs.

"Remus?" she called again, as she poked her head into the library and then the drawing room, but there was no sign of him. It was well past noon and she hadn't really expected to visit and find the man still in bed, but it was looking more and more likely as she made her way further up the old house. Her apprehension about how well the werewolf was coping with being alone in Grimmauld Place was growing, rapidly.

She was fairly sure she knew which room was Remus' and hoped that he had at least been sober enough to find it himself or else she would have to go room to room. But sure enough, as she pushed the door open, she knew she had the right place.

Things were lying everywhere, clothes, books and pieces of parchment. She could smell how much he must have drunk the previous evening, and probably into that morning, from the air in the room alone. As she stepped towards the bed, where Remus was sprawled on top of the covers, it only got worse.

"Oh, Remus," Molly sighed, in a combination of disappointment, concern and exasperation. "What are we going to do with you?"


	39. Friends and Enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 39.  
> Thank you all for your patience, things have been busy for me, both in terms of writing and RL. I am certainly not at a point where I can guarantee regular updates on this story at the moment, but I will upload chapters as soon as they are done. :)
> 
> In the meantime, please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my brilliant beta, AchillesTheGeek.

_ Previously: _

_She was fairly sure she knew which room was Remus' and hoped that he had at least been sober enough to find it himself or else she would have to go room to room. But sure enough, as she pushed the door open, she knew she had the right place._

_Things were lying everywhere, clothes, books and pieces of parchment. She could smell how much he must have drunk the previous evening, and probably into that morning, from the air in the room alone. As she stepped towards the bed, where Remus was sprawled on top of the covers, it only got worse._

_"Oh, Remus," Molly sighed, in a combination of disappointment, concern and exasperation. "What are we going to do with you?"_

-#-

Harry had left Orion with Draco, as both he and Sirius had classes to go to, and was now sitting next to Ron in a double period of Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall was standing at the front of the class, wearing her usual stern expression.

“If you would all open your books to page one hundred and twelve, we will start by...” she said to the sixth year class.

But she was interrupted by a loud, forced cough from the back of the classroom. A few students turned to see where it had come from; but Harry had a sinking feeling that he already knew who had made it, and rested his forehead on his desk to resist turning to glare at the toad-like woman who was likely there.

“Harry, Harry...” Ron whispered as he elbowed his best friend.

When the cough repeated, McGonagall’s eyes narrowed and Harry finally gave in. He sat back up and peered over his shoulder, wanting to let out a groan as he eyes were assaulted by the excess of pink that he saw standing there, clipboard in hand, disgustingly false smile firmly in place.

“Can I get you a cough drop, Madam Umbridge?” McGonagall asked, her lips pinched tight into a thin line of disapproval.

Umbridge gave a small laugh that lacked any trace of amusement, “No need, Professor...”

“Very well, as I was saying...” the stern head of house tried again, but another loud cough interrupted. “Are you really quite sure you are well?” McGonagall asked, her voice tense with annoyance. Never, in all her years, had she known such a frustrating woman, or disliked someone quite so intensely or quickly.

“I merely wanted to inform you,” Umbridge said in her piercing voice, “that your class will be under my inspection today.”

Harry turned and said “Well, no shit,” under his breath to Ron, who smothered a chuckle.

“I had assumed as much, thank you,” McGonagall tersely informed the High Inquisitor, “or else I would have asked you to leave.”

“This could get interesting,” Ron whispered to Harry, who nodded in agreement as he looked hesitantly between the two women.

The High Inquisitor’s expression was tense as she made her way towards the front of the room; her eyes only leaving McGonagall’s to jot down some unseen note on her clipboard.

“I was under the impression that the point of these inspections was to gain an accurate picture of my teaching abilities and my usual lessons,” McGonagall said, folding her arms over her chest, towering over the smaller witch. “You should be aware I do not permit interruptions in my classroom... from anyone,” she added with a pointed glare at the Ministry-appointed witch.

“Consider it noted,” Umbridge stated, writing on her clipboard again as she ignored the obvious distaste with which the professor, and most of the class, were looking at her. “Please proceed,” she instructed, her hand waved dismissively as she summoned a chair near the front corner of the room and moved over to take a seat in it.

McGonagall appeared to be more than a little disgruntled but got on with their lesson on multicorfors, the transfiguration spell that changes the colour and style of the caster's outfit, paying no attention to the occasional humming noises and scribbling sounds that came from the High Inquisitor.

 “Now that you know the theory, let’s see how you do in practise. I want you all to transfigure your robes white by the end of this lesson,”  she announced, when she had finished her discussion of the theory behind the multicorfors spell.

Umbridge did a few rounds of the room, peering over student’s shoulders; watching carefully as each of them took notes of the chapter section they were reading and attempted to transfigure their robes white. When she reached Harry and Ron’s table, she gave a mocking chuckle at their, so far, failed attempts; Ron’s robe was a rather embarrassing bright pink and Harry’s was not much better, a buttery yellow. Umbridge smirked and observed, “Perhaps, Mr Potter, if your attentions were more focused on your academic requirements, and less on the premature creation of your family, you might not have quite so much difficulty.”

Harry clenched his jaw; he had no idea what the woman had against him and Draco, but it was grating on his nerves. He knew that he had to hold his tongue, for his family’s sake; after all, who knew what Umbridge would do if he responded the way he wanted to? He resisted the urge by forcing mental images of Draco and Orion into his brain and turned with a faked smile on his face.

“With Professor McGonagall’s expertise I am sure that, even with some limits on my time, I will achieve great things,” he told her. “However, I appreciate your concern.”

Umbridge looked surprised to receive such a polite response.  Presumably she had heard rumour of Harry’s temper and had expected fireworks. In fact, she looked a little disappointed, and Harry felt a sweet moment of victory inside, which he was careful not to let show on his face. She also seemed to be holding back several comments of her own, but Harry managed to maintain his smile and after a tense moment of silence, during which many of the students and McGonagall had turned to watch them, Umbridge moved on to speak with a couple of Ravenclaws.

At the end of the double lesson Professor McGonagall transfigured all of their robes back to black and told them that there would be no assigned homework, much to the delight of her students. "Unless you wish to practise the spell further," she told them, with a small knowing smile in Hermione's direction. She did also go on to recommend they at least read the introduction to chapter six before the next lesson, earning a chorus of groans. It was only as the students began to pack away their books, quills, parchment and other such items, that Umbridge finally took her leave of the room.

Once the hateful woman was gone from the room, McGonagall made her way over to Harry’s desk, hesitating just long enough to say, “Consider this a reminder that patience and good manners have their rewards.”

Harry watched in confusion as the head of Gryffindor house left the classroom.

“Did she just basically admit we have no homework because you didn’t get pissed at Umbridge?” Ron asked incredulously.

Harry shrugged, “I think she might have. That was weird though, right?” he asked as he dropped the last few things in his bag. He threw the strap over his shoulder as he and Ron started to leave the classroom in search of Draco and then lunch.

“I’m proud of you,” Hermione whispered to Harry, as she caught up with them just as they were leaving the classroom. “Draco will be too,” she added.

“Draco will just be glad her Slytherin influence made me stop and think about consequences, before my Gryffindor nature made me defend my family,” Harry said. He was joking, but only partly; in fact he thought it was more that the alternative would have left his wife furious. Avoiding her wrath was probably reward enough. He loved Draco, but actively avoiding her bad side was a wise survival tactic, particularly when you were married to her.

-#-

It had been a long first week of term and Dumbledore sighed as he placed yet another of his letters, which had been returned, unopened, back onto his desk. Minister Fudge seemed to have decided that the easiest way to deal with the Headmaster’s complaints about the appointment of Madam Umbridge was to ignore him completely.

In truth there had been complaints from numerous other members of staff and several parents of students, but all of these had been responded to with curt, formal letters, informing their recipients that the appointment of the High Inquisitor had been approved using all due procedure and that Hogwarts’ Board of Governors had agreed to it.

Dumbledore looked up as the potions master entered the office. “Ah, Severus,” the Headmaster greeted happily, “do come in. Take a seat.”

“Headmaster,” Snape responded flatly with a small nod of his head.

The Headmaster waited patiently as Snape stepped forward; his robes billowed behind him, even with the small movement. He lowered himself into the chair across the desk from Dumbledore; he had grudgingly agreed to the meeting out of respect for the older man, but in truth he would have rather remained in his lab with his cauldrons and jars of ingredients for company.

“I trust your arrangement with the Potters is working as we hoped,” the Headmaster asked, smiling mildly at the younger professor.

“Mrs Potter, of course, has proven herself to be an adequate student,” Snape informed him.

“And Harry?” Dumbledore questioned with a pointed look over his half moon spectacles, not missing the obvious avoidance. He knew that the potions master would not easily move past his prejudices, despite the young man’s marriage to Draco, but Dumbledore held out hope that, with time, the two might learn to understand, perhaps even find some respect for, each other.

“I am... hopeful... that this more private tuition might lead to an improvement,” Snape said with a sneer, just barely keeping the bitterness from his voice. It was no easy task for him to willingly lend his free time to aiding James Potter’s son and had only agreed for Draco’s sake; if only the boy could have been more like his mother, then he might have found his company less contemptible. But the potions master had spoken the truth; it would, after all, be difficult for the boy to get worse. Severus would even go so far as to admit, at least to himself, that he was cautiously optimistic that Draco’s influence might be beneficial to Harry’s ability.

“With your skills, Severus, I have the utmost faith,” Dumbledore told him fondly, with a small chuckle.

Snape, however, looked less than amused as he gave a sharp nod of agreement, accepting the compliment. “As… commendable…,” he said, forcing the word through his lips as though it tasted bitter on his tongue, “…as I find your dedication to  your students, Headmaster, I suspect you had more pressing reasons for summoning me here this evening.”

“Now come, Severus, surely a little conversation and time away from your brewing will do you no harm,” Dumbledore said.

“Indeed,” the potions master drawled, though he did not appeared to be entirely convinced, crossing his arms over his chest and saying nothing more as he waited for the Headmaster to decide to discuss the matter that was truly on his mind.

“Very well,” the Headmaster said; leaning forward he rested his elbows on his desk and knitted his fingers together. “I was curious as to when last you spoke with an old friend of yours,” he said, fixing Snape with a piercing gaze.

It was almost as a reflex action that Severus threw his Occlumency shields up over his mind even though he had nothing to hide. He hated the intrusive nature of Legilimency and what little trust he had ever had in others had been left in ruins in the aftermath of the war. However, the Headmaster did not invade his mind and did not attempt to obtain information by force.

“I presume you are referring to Lucius Malfoy?” Snape questioned keeping his face blank. In fact the question was rhetorical; he was certain this was precisely who Dumbledore had meant. And it was not a subject he was particularly keen to discuss, given how his visit to Malfoy Manor the week before had gone; both in regards to Narcissa’s worrying health and Lucius’ attitude.

 Dumbledore nodded once. “I have my concerns that…”

“…he might be involved in assigning our High Inquisitor?” Snape interrupted, humming as a frown forming on his face, “I have wondered on the possibility of such a thing myself.”

“He has mentioned something that inclined you to believe this?” the Headmaster asked, curiously.

“Not as such,” Snape explained. “My interaction with the Malfoys has been strained as of late.” He resented that he felt compelled to reveal even that much to the older wizard; it wasn’t really any of his business but yet Dumbledore would expect either information, or an explanation for the lack there of.

“I see,” the Headmaster said; his eyes clearly showing he had more questions, but suspected that Severus would be unwilling to answer any of them given the expression the potions master was currently wearing.

“But one could hardly miss Umbridge’s opinion of the Potters,” Snape pointed out. “I have seen Hufflepuffs with more subtlety,” he added with distain.

“Now, now, we have quite enough house rivalry to deal with amongst the students, without our heads of houses adding to it,” Dumbledore said with a stern gaze, “but you are correct, in that Umbridge has seemingly taken issue with Orion and his parents. A regrettable circumstance, but not entirely unforeseen, I’m afraid.”

 The potions master’s eyes narrowed. There was obviously more to the situation than he currently knew, and the Headmaster, it seemed, was already better informed. Severus scowled internally; Dumbledore had always seemed far too skilled at keeping himself more informed than those around him, and it was never pleasant feeling that the man was always a few steps ahead. He couldn’t help but wonder what it could be that the Headmaster was aware of, but it seemed Dumbledore was not any more willing to share on this subject than Severus had been with regards to his current standing with the Malfoys.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, observing the potions master. It had not entirely been his intention to set Severus on guard against Umbridge, at least no more than he likely already was, but it would do no harm to have the observant head of Slytherin attempting to figure out what was behind the Ministry’s High Inquisitor.

In truth the Headmaster wished he could inform the younger professor about Umbridge’s history but there was legislation in place to prevent such a thing. Aggravating the Ministry of Magic would do them no favours at the present, given there were clearly powers at play there that wanted to see their downfall. Besides, the law was in place for a reason, for the protection of those involved, and Dumbledore could easily admit that it was necessary, even if a little inconvenient at the moment.

“If there is nothing else…,” Snape started.

The Headmaster looked up at him, having gotten lost in his own thoughts; he had momentarily forgotten the other man was still in his office. “Yes, yes, thank you for your time,” Dumbledore said, dismissively.

Snape pushed himself back to his feet. His thoughts were in a whirl: on Umbridge and what her presence would mean for the school; on Lucius and what the man’s part was in it all, if he had one; on Draco, Orion, and even Harry, Potter; and on Narcissa. His thoughts often drifted to the seriously unwell woman, even more so now that Lucius seemed opposed to his visits.

“Oh, and Severus…” the Headmaster called out, as the potions master’s hand was just reaching for the door.

Snape took a calming breath, and dropped his hand back to his side, before turning to face the older wizard with a politely questioning expression; he truly was more than ready to return to own dwellings at this point, ready to be alone with his thoughts.

“Do keep an eye on Madam Umbridge and the Potters,” Dumbledore requested, giving the other man a look over the top of his glasses.

Snape said nothing, but dipped his head in agreement; his loyalty to his old friend, Lucius, might be wavering, but he found that he had already subconsciously made the decision to protect Draco. The boy-turned-girl seemed to have the majority of the world against her; on that much he could relate and he would not willingly see her suffer further.

-#-

“Where exactly is your more reckless half?” Blaise asked Draco, just before leaning down and blowing a raspberry on Orion’s belly. The little boy laughed, his arms and legs waving in the air.

“I haven’t put a nappy back on him yet, Blaise. I will not be taking the blame should my son decide to urinate in your ear,” Draco pointed out; it took her a great deal of effort to hold back the laugh that tried to escape as she remembered the time that almost exactly that had happened to Sirius.

It was the first Saturday after the start of term and Blaise had joined Draco and Orion in the Potters' rooms rather than face another day spent sitting in the Slytherin common room; frequent glaring was rather distracting, after all.

Draco had left her best friend in the living room watching over Orion while she went to select some clean clothes to dress her son in. Though Draco couldn’t see from in the bedroom, at her comment Blaise’s face had scrunched up in distaste and he had sat up enough to move his head out of peeing distance. He hoped so, anyway, as he helped Orion to get a grip on one of his numerous toys instead.

“And Harry is at quidditch practice,” Draco said as she returned to the room. “Some idiot thought it was a good idea to make Ron Team Captain, and they were holding try-outs today. Not that Ron would even consider replacing Harry,” she told him, as she sat down and expertly maneuvered Orion into a fresh nappy. “I am just glad that McGonagall, or whoever made the decision, at least had the sense not to even suggest that Harry take the captaincy.”

“But wouldn’t Harry love that position?” Blaise asked with a puzzled expression. Now that Draco was watching Orion, he took the opportunity to lean back where he was sat on the floor, so that he was rested against the sofa.

“Exactly,” Draco said, as she lifted Orion enough to get his arms into the onesie she had chosen, “but when do you suppose he has time to plan and organise quidditch sessions? We barely have time for the few classes we are taking,” she explained. “He already had to seriously consider whether he could return to playing seeker for Gryffindor at all, as it is.”

“And you couldn’t have talked him into dropping it?” Blaise asked with a smirk. “Would have done wonders for Slytherin’s chances.”

“Very amusing, Slytherin will just have to beat them on their own merit,” Draco told him dryly knowing what the chances of that were.

“Our own merit might have been enough if you agreed to play again,” Blaise said, thinking it was worth at least one try, even if Draco’s mind was already made up on the matter.                                                                                     

The blonde sighed; she had seriously considered returning but her priorities had changed. “I decided I would rather spend that time with my beautiful little boy,” she explained, picking up Orion and holding him against her as he snuggled sleepily into her chest a little more, his small hands curled into fists. “But for Harry…” she went on, turning her attention back to Blaise, “I think it does him a lot of good to get out there and fly with his team regularly. Ron has agreed to do weekend practices and to be flexible about which ones Harry attends; it isn’t like he really needs to practice much.”

“Don’t you miss flying though?” Blaise asked, worried that Draco was giving up too much for Harry’s sake, or even for Orion’s. It wouldn’t do any of them any good if she came to resent them for it later in life. “I remember how much fun you had at your anniversary party with the Weasleys.”

“Oh, well I am hardly giving up flying,” Draco said, almost amused that Blaise would think her quite that self-sacrificing. “Sirius has agreed to take Orion for an hour or two on most weekends so that Harry and I can go flying,” she told him with a grin.

“Time to go flying and alone time with your husband in one move,” Blaise commented with a mildly impressed expression. “Just remember to make sure the showers are unoccupied for when you’re done flying for some more intimate alone time” he suggested; “and to use silencing spells,” he added with a smirk.

“Well, of course,” Draco responded with a devious expression all of her own. “And don’t worry, Professor Snape already helped me brew a large batch of contraceptive potion before the start of term,” she added with a wink.

Blaise laughed. “I am glad to hear they have not turned you entirely Gryffindor,” he told her, only laughing more when Draco glared at him. “No offence, of course. I have rather gotten used to some of them, but I rather like you as you are.”

“I think that was a compliment,” Draco stated with a mock expression of disbelief. “…Though, I am equally sure it was an insult at the same time,” she added after a moment’s thought, “so, I might just ignore it completely.”

“If you must,” Blaise said.

“So, you must have some Slytherin gossip of note to share,” Draco asked, as she got up to place the now sleeping Orion into his bassinette. “I have rather been left out of the loop, obviously.”

Blaise shook his head and let out a small laugh. “I would make a comment about how much of a girl you have become, if I didn’t know full well that you have always been this way,” he said fondly.

“I just like to know what is going on,” Draco said in defence of herself, as she took as seat on the sofa, “knowledge is power; didn’t you know?”

“So I have heard,” Blaise agreed with a definite tone of scepticism as he moved to take a seat next to her; but he told his best friend what little he knew, none the less.

-#-

Hermione loved being in the library, which was not exactly a secret but Ron had scoffed in amusement at how much she had missed it over the summer. She didn’t care what others thought about her love of books and reading, but would admit that she was glad her friends accepted it as part of her.

Ron was holding quidditch try-outs and, of course, as the team’s seeker, and Ron’s best friend, Harry had gone with him. Hermione had offered to go with them to offer support but they had told her that if she would rather go study then they would understand. It was one of those wonderful moments when she really was aware of just how much her two best friends knew and loved her, even if they were both hopelessly clueless at times.

And so it was that she found herself seated in the largely empty library with a small stacks of books in front of her. She had read several of them before, but there were just so many interesting topics that they would be studying in their sixth year and she was eager to read up on them all.

“Hello,” a dreamy voice greeted from behind one of the large piles of texts and Hermione had to lean to one side a little to be able to see the speaker.

“Erm… hello,” Hermione responded, slightly surprised to see Luna sitting across the table from her with a few books of her own.

“I believed I would find you here, no matter how much the nargles tried to confuse me,” the eccentric blonde said. She seemed to blink slowly and tipped her head slightly to the side as she gave Hermione a soft smile.

It was odd; everything about the girl was at least a little bit odd but Hermione found it suited Luna somehow. There was something soft and gentle about her, like she just sat easily into whatever environment she found herself in. Luna seemed the kind of girl who might find herself in a cave of manticores and then accidentally be accepted amongst them rather than be attacked.

Even the radishes that hung from her ears and the chain of butterbeer corks around her neck just seemed to suit somehow. Hermione took note of her Ravenclaw uniform and smiled back at the girl across from her; she had never had much cause or opportunity to socialise with that particular house but given their supposed intelligence she  had often wondered if she couldn’t find a few that she would get on with well.

“I thought we could study together,” Luna suggested, still smiling a little serenely as Hermione observed her.

“I would like that,” Hermione said, shuffling her stacks of books such that the two of them had a clear view of each other.

“Oh goodie, it can be so much more interesting reading with someone else,” Luna said, smiling a little wider as her opened the book from the top of the few she had brought over with her.

Hermione was used to reading alone, but she certainly didn’t find herself opposed to the company that this girl offered and so she settled back into reading her own book again, only looking up occasionally to share a smile with her new friend across the table.

-#-

Pansy’s father had informed her, before she had returned to Hogwarts, that there had been a new appointment by the Minister of Magic himself and that this woman would bring about some more preferable changes in the institution. But so far, she was unimpressed.

She had particularly enjoyed that Draco was once again forced to eat where she should be, showing the proper respect to their house once more; though it still irked Pansy greatly that such a thing should have to have been forced at all. It had been barely more than eighteen months since Draco’s accident and the blonde Slytherin was almost unrecognisable from boy that Pansy was supposed to have married.

There had also supposedly been a few amusing inspections on some of the professors, but unfortunately she had not had the pleasure to witness even one of the horrendous staff taking on Madam Umbridge. As such the entire first week of term had been an altogether disappointing experience.

Though granted, it still ranked at least a little above the thoroughly miserable summer; she had never visited quite so many families, in quite so many countries, in quite such a short period of time, before. It was awful; it had given new meaning to the word awful.

Her father, and mother to a lesser extent, had dragged her to meet every eligible bachelor who met their rightfully high standards; she did at least agree that she couldn’t just marry some half-blood, the idea was beyond ridiculous. Either way, her choices were now rather limited; her broken engagement counted against her and it seemed that ‘my fiancé was turned into a girl’ was not an adequate excuse.

After far too many weeks of long distance portkeys, and more apparition than she thought she had ever experienced in her life, Pansy Parkinson had not one, but three potential new husbands. Granted, not one of them actually spoke English, or any other language she was familiar with; and granted none of them had the influence of the Malfoys; but she would be married…

…Provided she passed her NEWTs with high enough grades. Surprisingly it had been this that had felt like the greatest insult after all the ‘inspections’ and highly personal questions that she had had to answer; as though SHE had to prove her worth to THEM. She would, of course, be more than capable of meeting their requirements, but that hardly seemed like the point.

She supposed the point was really that she still dreamed of being Mrs Malfoy and was having trouble letting that go; it was never going to be exactly easy, when the only things that were waiting for her now were mediocre foreign men, who viewed her as little more than adequate breeding stock and would be unable to hold a conversation with her.

The other Slytherins didn’t understand, or have patience, for her foul moods and she found that she had little patience for their disapproval. Pansy supposed she had changed too, they all had; the dynamics of their school year had shifted into something strange and relatively unknown with Draco’s dramatic shift in loyalty. Admittedly, maybe they had forced Draco’s hand when they had flat out rejected her following her disowning, but that was no surprise; Slytherins were not known for their loyalty.

Pansy paused in her leisurely walk of the school grounds, to observe the Gryffindor quidditch team as they headed back towards the castle, presumably having just finished a practice session. Even from where she was standing, a little distance away, she could spot Potter and Weasley walking together.

Her loathing of Potter had reached new heights since his sudden marriage to Draco, and the creation of their little brat. Pansy could have almost have forgiven the way the Gryffindor had helped the blonde Slytherin, when Draco had been so abandoned, even if it seemed so weird that the two of them had somehow come to an understanding; but their whole relationship, particularly the sheer speed of it, felt like a personal attack and betrayal all at once.

There was nothing to be done, however, and she knew it. She had a few ideas, of course, but those required things she didn’t have and currently saw no way of getting; until that changed, those schemes would have to be kept on the shelf.

Her attention turned back to the Gryffindors as she spotted that Weasley and Potter had not been the last to leave, as she had believed; the girl Weasley was following them. The redheaded girl was obviously trying to be secretive about it too, given the distance she kept between herself and the other two boys. Pansy had never really spared anything more than a passing thought for any of the Weasleys, but the expression on the girl’s face had definitely caught her eye.

It was anger, possibly even rage, and it was directed at Potter and Weasley; of course, it could simply be a case of sibling issues and of no importance to Pansy at all, but if that look was for Potter…

Pansy smiled; this was something worth investigating.


	40. Fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 40.
> 
> I think this chapter came together well. It is still taking me longer to update than before as you will have noticed, but I am still working on it when I can. No idea how long the next chapter will take, but I do have a chapter plan already to be written so hopefully no more than a few weeks but time will tell and it may depend on what my muses want to work on.
> 
> In the meantime, please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you to my brilliant beta, AchillesTheGeek.

_ Previously: _

_Her attention turned back to the Gryffindors as she spotted that Weasley and Potter had not been the last to leave, as she had believed; the girl Weasley was following them. The redheaded girl was obviously trying to be secretive about it too, given the distance she kept between herself and the other two boys. Pansy had never really spared anything more than a passing thought for any of the Weasleys, but the expression on the girl’s face had definitely caught her eye._

_It was anger, possibly even rage, and it was directed at Potter and Weasley; of course, it could simply be a case of sibling issues and of no importance to Pansy at all, but if that look was for Potter…_

_Pansy smiled; this was something worth investigating._

-#-

"I trust you are enjoying your new position at Hogwarts, Madam Umbridge," Lucius said with a polite half smile.

"Oh yes," she responded with a tinkling little laugh that made Lucius have to repress a shudder, a situation he found himself in all too often.

It was the evening of the second Friday of term. They were sitting in the drawing room of Malfoy Manor and the High Inquisitor was trussed up like a chicken in the most revolting pink suit Lucius had ever had the displeasure of seeing. She was slurping at a glass of bourbon; it seemed he had been correct to serve her from the lower grade spirits as she had babbled vociferous  approval upon first tasting it.

"There is a great deal of work to be done there, of course," Umbridge told him seriously, "but that is to be expected given the free rein that Albus Dumbledore has been given for so long."

"Quite so," Lucius said dryly, really wishing there was someone less... irritating who would be suited to his purposes; but he had to remind himself there was a specific reason for her selection for the role.

He was seated in his favourite chair. There was something about it that made him look regal and he knew it, he had chosen it for that very reason. He had one knee folded over the other, making him appear relaxed whilst still maintaining control; his hands were neatly knitted together, resting easily on his lap.

"I understand that the appointment of a High Inquisitor was your idea?" Umbridge asked, giving Lucius what he was sure was supposed to be a flirtatious smile; it managed to do something to his insides, but it felt more like nausea than attraction. "That you suggested the position was given to me?" she went on.

"You understand correctly," he stated, her gratitude would certainly help matters as far as he was concerned; and given the awful way she was smiling at him, he was sure that she was indeed grateful. "Tell me, how has your first week progressed?"

"Dumbledore has been surprisingly accommodating, but some of the teachers less so. And it is the Potters who have been causing problems; you know all about that of course," she added, leaning back in her chair with an exasperated sigh.

"I do indeed," he told her, suppressing the smile that wanted to twitch on his lips. She really was going to be too easy to play, he didn't even have to bring up the subject himself.

"A child, in the care of teenagers," she said huffily. "Entirely unsuitable. Completely irresponsible," she mumbled, but Lucius heard her clear enough. "It seems disgraceful that they have been given permission to raise a child at  school, or to be honest why they have been given leniency to keep the infant at all."

"I couldn't agree more," Lucius said. "I did what I could, offering to take the boy in myself but..." He gave a put-upon sigh. "I just wanted to give that innocent child a real future but the ministry seemed to think that two sixteen year olds would be better suited than Narcissa and me."

"Well..." Umbridge said, a devious smile forming on her lips, "... I am well positioned to observe their attempts at parenting. I am sure a detailed report on their activities would help the committee to rethink the matter."

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to trouble you..." Lucius said, trying to sound surprised and shocked by her suggestion. He hadn't dared to dream that she would play so beautifully into his hands.

"It would be no trouble," Umbridge assured him. "In fact, I feel I must, for the sake of the child. That little boy deserves better, I know that, I..." she paused. She wasn't supposed to talk about what had happened, the ministry files were sealed and those in the know ordered into silence.

"There is something you wish to share, Madam Umbridge?" he asked, trying to express casual interest. He was fairly sure that he knew exactly what it was that she wished to tell him, but given he was not supposed to know, nor was she supposed to speak of it, he would wait to see what she would reveal.

"I cannot," she stated. "Just know I have experience in these matters. I will watch the Potters closely." Umbridge just had to hope that was enough; that she and Malfoy could find a way to work together on the issue. It had not been part of her reason for being appointed at the school; no, she had been appointed to monitor the teaching standards. But she could not allow this situation to continue; she had to do something.

"Do let me know what you find," Lucius requested kindly. "That child is of my blood, even if his mother betrayed my family."

"I will see that my reports find their way to your desk," she told him, toasting him with her glass of bourbon before downing the reminder of it.

"That would be greatly appreciated," he said, with a nod of his head as he got to his feet, Madam Umbridge following suit. "Oh, and you might want to look into Draco's accident," he suggested as he directed her towards the room where she would floo back to Hogwarts.

She turned and looked at him curiously. That was a long time ago now; more importantly... "Isn't Severus Snape a friend of yours?"

"In a manner of speaking, but that accident still should not have occurred and I would hate to see another family suffer as mine has," Lucius explained.  "I just think it would be wise to maintain a watchful eye on the esteemed potions master."

For too many years had he permitted Severus Snape to be counted amongst his allies, the man had always served his purposes well, but something had changed in him during his most recent visit.  Lucius suspected that the potion master's loyalty was not as secure as it once had been, and in truth he was beginning to wonder how long it had been wavering for; Snape still seemed to have concern for Narcissa. Lucius thought that the potion master seemed to feel almost guilty over her predicament; most likely due to his role in having brewed the potion that enabled the conception.

Narcissa was now seven months pregnant and stuck in her own bed, on orders from a well respected and expensive healer. The house elves and provided her with all the care she needed now, but Lucius felt the concern for his unborn heir like a weight in his chest; he hated that he was having to go through this at all and he would have his revenge on those responsible.

"I will see what I can do," Umbridge said, though she was looking at him strangely.

Lucius suspected that she believed him to be conspiring to something; she wasn't wrong but it made no difference, the woman would not act against him while their interests remained so aligned. Even if their paths were to diverge, his role in her appointment as High Inquisitor proved his sway with the minister; that alone would ensure her cooperation.

"Good day to you, Madam Umbridge," he said politely. "I appreciate you sparing me some of your time."

she stepped towards the fireplace, taking a pinch of floo powder from the silver box that a silent house elf that had appeared and offered.

"To you too, Mr Malfoy," she responded as she stepped into the fireplace and floo-ed to Hogwarts.

There was a certain smugness in the tall blond man's expression, now that there was no-one there to see it; Madam Umbridge was every bit as easy to manipulate as the Minister himself. He already knew about the secret she was keeping, about what motivated her so strongly to assist in removing Orion from his parent's care, but there was no need for her to know that.

As for Snape; he would not see the man removed from his post just yet, but there was no harm in arming himself with the tools to make it happen. If nothing else it would ensure his obedience in some matters of importance, starting with the remainder of Narcissa's pregnancy. Nothing could go wrong; Lucius Malfoy would not lose a second heir.

-#-

The first two weeks of term had been exhausting, so Sirius and the Potter family had eagerly anticipated the arrival of the weekend, however the relief of Friday night was short lived when they awoke to Orion's distressed cries in the early hours of Saturday morning.

"I'll get him," Harry mumbled sleepily as he literally rolled off the side of their bed, only just managing to get his feet underneath himself quick enough to stand up, rather than ending up in a heap on the floor. Though perhaps the heap on the floor might have been preferable given how tired he felt.

Harry had no idea what time it was but he didn't think they could have been asleep very long; Orion had already woken them once to be changed and fed, but Draco had gotten up then. He glanced towards the window, confirming, as he thought, that it was still dark outside; middle of the night dark, not just early morning dark, he suspected.

He lifted his bawling son out of his cot that they had been using for nearly a week. Sirius had put it together for them when he was watching Orion on Tuesday morning while both Harry and Draco were in Herbology.

"Hey there, little man, what's the matter?" Harry asked, cradling Orion against his chest; the first thing he noticed was that he looked rather flushed, and that he was warmer than he should have been.  He checked Orion's nappy but it was clean; so he warmed one of the bottles of expressed milk they kept under a preservation spell with a quick wave of his wand, picked it up and tested the temperature before trying to get his son to eat.

Orion was having none of it though, turning his head away from the offer bottle, his tiny fists scrunched up and pulling at Harry's pyjama top; his crying was really not letting up at all.

"Draco, I think you should come here," Harry called out as he rocked his son gently to try and calm him. He didn't want to worry his wife, but couldn't deny that he was growing increasingly concerned for his son.

Draco appeared in the doorway a moment later and Harry couldn't help but smile at her; her hair was a mess, she was yawning, rubbing her eyes sleepily, and the pyjama top she was wearing was so big on her that there was no doubt that it was Harry's; all-in-all Harry thought that she looked adorable. That was other than the look of worry on her face as she approached her husband and son.

"I think he had a fever," Harry said, as Draco took their son into her arms.

She cuddled him close as she rested the back of her hand of her son's forehead; the skin was warm and clammy, he was sick, she was sure of it. "It's okay, baby, Mummy's got you," she cooed, "and Daddy is going to go wake Madam Pomfrey right now so we can make you all better."

"I am?" Harry asked, glancing at the window again and wondering just what time it actually was.

"Yes, you are," Draco said sternly, "your son is sick and needs a healer."

"Okay, Daddy's going," Harry agreed as he placed a kiss on Orion's forehead. He went to grab his cloak and shoes, not wanting to waste time getting dressed, but not going to make himself sick by going out into the Hogwarts corridors in just his pyjamas.

"Yes, and he is going to go quickly before Mummy kicks his arse," Draco added.

Harry chuckled as he pulled his second shoe on, before pulling his arms into the black cloak. "I love you both, I will be back as soon as I can," he promised kissing Draco chastely and hurrying for the door to their bedroom.

Draco followed after him at a more sedate pace and stood in the doorway rocking their distressed child in her arms, as Harry closed the door over the entrance to their rooms behind him. She had known it would happen sometime, that Orion couldn't go his whole life without ever becoming unwell, but it was still upsetting her more than she wanted to admit. Her heart was beating fast and hard in her chest as she failed to offer Orion the comfort he needed and her eyes burned as she tried and failed to hold back her tears.

"Draco?" Sirius voice questioned from the doorway to his own room.

"Oh, sorry," she said quickly, as she wiped away the stray tears that had escaped. She belated realised that he had probably been able to hear Orion from the moment Harry had opened their bedroom door. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"No, no, its fine," Sirius said quickly, hurrying over to them. "What's going on?" he asked as he ran a hand over Orion's hair and met Draco's tear filled eyes.

"He's sick, Sirius," she told him, letting more tears fall; she was simply too tired to fight them. "He has a temperature and he's all clammy and won't stop crying..."

"Hey, hey, hey," Sirius said gently, pulling Draco into a hug from the side, not wanting to wedge Orion between them if he was already too warm. "Come on let's cool him down a little and get him out of these clothes," he suggested, guiding them towards the bathroom.

Draco looked almost as upset as Orion sounded, but she was the poor little boy's mother after all, so Sirius supposed that he could understand her being that way.

"Harry went to get Madam Pomfrey," Draco told him as she sat down on the floor, leaning back against the edge of the bath as she started to manoeuvre Orion out of his sweaty clothing.

"Okay, that's good," Sirius told her, glad that the school nurse would be able to check Orion over, even though he was sure it was just a minor bug that would pass quickly; it was just so upsetting to see the normally happy, smiley little boy so obviously distressed.

Once the little boy was undressed, Draco lay Orion on her chest, his head over her heart, as she gently ran her fingers through his hair and over his back. Sirius passed her a flannel that was very slightly dampened with cool water and she carefully brushed it over her son's tiny forehead and across the back of his neck. As she washed his little body his cries softened and became whimpers, as his mother comforted him and the cool cloth eased his heated skin.

She hadn't even noticed when Sirius left but she looked up at him as he returned and handed her one of Orion's baby blankets. "Poor kid," he said, sympathetically, sitting down with his back against the wall near the door.

"Thank you," Draco said earnestly as she wrapped it loosely around her son, before going back to gently brushing to cool cloth over Orion's head and neck. She really wished Harry would hurry up and get back already, even the little soft cries that their baby boy was letting out now were breaking her heart.

Sirius couldn't help the yawn that escaped him; they had all had a really long first week back and he would be the first to admit this wasn't what any of them needed for the weekend, but it wasn't like it was Orion's fault that he had gotten poorly. He watched on sadly as the three month old boy reached up and tugged at his ear and hair.

"You can go back to bed if you want, we'll be okay," Draco said quietly, pressing her finger into Orion's clenching fist.

It was bad enough that she, Harry and Orion were awake like this in the middle of the night and she felt kind of bad that Sirius had to be too; if anything his week had been more exhausting that either of theirs had been. The man was amazing really; she knew that people hadn't expected much from him, she had heard the jokes and stories about how he had been as a teenager but Draco honestly had no idea what she and Harry would have done without him.

"Not happening," Sirius told her with a smile. Not only was he one of the little boy's guardians but, far more importantly, he loved Orion; there was no way he could have gone and slept now even if he had been inclined to do so. "I will go to bed when we know what is wrong with Orion, and preferably when he is asleep again."

"How's he doing?" Harry asked as he appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, looking and sounding as though he had run a mile.

"Better than before," Sirius told him, as he got to his feet.

"Excuse me, Mr Potter, but there was little point in waking me in the middle of the night, if you are not going to allow me through to tend to my patient," Madam Pomfrey's stern but kindly voice said from behind Harry.

He blushed a little feeling momentarily a bit stupid, but he had been in quite a hurry to return to his wife and son. "Sorry," he mumbled, stepping into the bathroom and allowing her through.

It really was very crowded with them all in the small room and so Sirius stepped back out into the doorway to give them a little more space. Madam Pomfrey knelt down next to Draco, her bag clinking and rattling as she placed it down on the floor and Harry presumed and hoped that it contained potions or medicines that would help ease Orion's suffering.

"He's going to be okay, right?" Draco asked, her voice shaking a little as the school nurse cast a couple of quick diagnostic spells over the whimpering infant.

"He is going to be just fine," Madam Pomfrey assured her with a soft smile. "He has a tiny bit of a cold, that has given him an ear infection." The nurse started to dig in into her bag, the vials clinking together as she shuffled them around before pulling out a bottle of blue liquid that Draco recognised as a pain reliever. "Do you have any milk expressed?"

"There are a couple of bottles in our bedroom," Harry told her quickly, "Sirius, could you...?"

 "I've got it," Sirius said, already half way to the door of Harry and Draco's bedroom before Harry could even finish the request.

"Let's give this little man some pain relief and get his fever down," the nurse said as she pulled out a second bottle that Draco thought must be a mild fever reducer.

Harry gratefully took the bottle of milk when Sirius returned and took a seat on the floor next to Draco as he took the top off of it. The nurse tipped three drops of the pain reliever and four of the fever reducer into the milk, instructing Harry to give it a good shake.

"Do you want me to...?" Harry started to ask, holding out his arms for Orion. He could see on his wife's face how tired she was and he wanted to get back to sleep soon as much as he did their son.

"No, I need to," Draco insisted however. She shifted Orion, who gave a weak and exhausted cry, into the crook of her arm and Harry placed a kiss to her temple as she took the milk and potion mix. She raised the teat of the bottle to Orion's lips but he protested and turned his head into her chest, his little hands coming up to his face. "Come on, Orion, you really need to drink this," she said, her voice heavy with worry and, after another couple of attempts, he finally latched on and drank.

"Keep him hydrated, so I want you to keep up with all his regular feeds, okay?" the nurse instructed and Harry and Draco both nodded their understanding. "The cold flannel was a good idea, use that if it helps, and you can give him another three drops of pain relief and four of fever reducer every six hours," she instructed clearly.

"Leave those with me," Sirius said, taking the vials as Madam Pomfrey passed them over and he went to put them somewhere safe.

"Now, I am certain he will be fine but if he seems to be getting worse at all, or the potions aren't helping then you bring him straight to me," the nurse told them firmly, smiling at how well Orion was doing at drinking the milk; he was almost half way through the bottle already. "Hopefully he will be well again by Monday but if he isn't I would like to see him, but other than that just try to get some rest. And I do mean the two of you, as well as Orion," she told them sternly.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them," Sirius said who was back and leaning against the doorframe watching the Potter family with great affection.

"You better make sure you get some rest as well, Professor Black," she said with a small smile. "I will be most displeased to hear stories of you being too tired to complete your lessons come Monday."

"Yes, Ma'am," he agreed, chuckling as she headed for the door.

"You know where I am if you need me," she said, before leaving the room and the Potter family to what was promising to be a long and tiring few days.

-#-

"...so then Katie did this really awesome dive and actually managed to catch the quaffle. Of course, we were all in shock," Ron said. He and Hermione were walking back up the Grand Staircase to the Gryffindor common room following lunch on that Sunday. "I really thought she was going to hit the ground, but if she can do something like that in our next match..."

Hermione was listening, she honestly was, even if only because she knew how important the sport was to Ron but she just didn't understand his need to detail the full blow by blow of their practice session. It was nothing new; she remembered him doing the same after each match they watched, though Harry had been there at the time and she had been able to just tune the pair of them out.

On Saturday morning Ron had had heard from Sirius that Orion was unwell; that of course meant that Harry would be staying with his family instead of joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team outside. Ron had come to the Potters’ rooms wanting to move the team practice to Sunday but Harry had been insistent that he still wouldn't be able to attend then either, and that they should go ahead without him.

Ron had been pretty disappointed but obviously Orion was Harry's priority, he understood that; he cared for Orion a great deal and of course just wanted the little guy to get better soon. However, given the excitement with which the redhead was talking about their practice, Hermione was fairly sure that once the team had actually gotten out onto the pitch they had not really felt the absence of their seeker. They were, of course, able to practice just as well without Harry there, but she understood how it might affect morale.

"Hello, Hermione; hello, Ronald," a familiar and most welcome dreamy voice said, breaking into her thoughts.

Hermione turned and smiled at Luna as the petite blonde fell into step with them at her side. "Hello, Luna," she greeted fondly.

"Luna," Ron said with a slight frown on his face.

Hermione didn't think that Ron had anything against the blonde girl in particular; it was more that his monologue regarding the quidditch practice had been brought to a rather abrupt and premature end; something that Hermione wasn't upset about in the slightest. Since the start of term she had met with Luna several times; the girl had an uncanny knack of knowing exactly when she would be in the library.

They were only two weeks into term and already the bushy-haired brunette found herself looking forward to those moments when Luna would seemingly appear from nowhere and put a smile on both their faces. More often or not the two of them could be found sitting next to each other quietly reading in the library, but sometimes one of the would find something of particular curiosity and then they would launch into a dynamic discussion of the details.

They disagreed on many things and Hermione found the younger girl's theories largely bizarre and fanciful, while Luna often would chuckle at how the Gryffindor girl needed to open her mind to the world of possibilities she was closed off from. The way the Ravenclaw girl viewed the world was rather endearing though, Hermione thought.

"I had a book I wanted to show you," Luna said to Hermione, smiling up at the taller girl, blinking her large pale eyes slowly. "Perhaps we could go sit outside for a while? You would be welcome to join us, Ronald," she said, leaning around Hermione to look at the red-head on her other side.

"Thanks but I'll pass... really important essay to write," he said.

Hermione's pinched lips told him that she knew full well that he was making an excuse; and a rather poor one at that, given the curve of her mouth. She was right, of course, but an evening playing snap with Seamus, Neville and Dean was a hell of a lot more appealing that sitting listening to Hermione and Luna debate the existence of Blimberling Himmingers, or whatever it was she had been talking about last time he had the misfortune of getting caught in one of their debates.

"Your loss," Luna said, sounding as happy as ever, linking her arm through Hermione's and leading them off towards the Entrance Hall, presumably to go sit in the grounds.

"I have a most interesting localised warming charm we can try," Ron heard Hermione tell Luna, as he watched the two girls walk away from him without a glance back.

It really was a peculiar friendship and, while he wasn't overly fond of the strange Ravenclaw girl, he was happy that Hermione seemed to enjoy Luna's company. He couldn't help but feel a little bit resentful though; Harry was always with Draco and Orion, understandably, and now Hermione was often disappearing off with Luna. Ron sighed to himself, part of him hated how selfish it felt to even think it, but he couldn't help but wish he could have his best friends back all to himself, just for a little while.

-#-

Molly had really tried to insist that Remus stay at The Burrow that evening, but she knew she could not force him to and so she had no choice but to watch as he returned to Grimmauld Place alone. She comforted herself with the small achievement of not only having managed to talk Remus into joining her and Arthur for dinner, but into actually eating something.

"Molly, you really shouldn't worry so much," Arthur said, putting his arm around his wife's shoulders to lead her away from the fireplace where Remus had just floo-ed away.

"He is too thin, I am sure he isn't eating," she said. "And I dread to think how much he is drinking, I could smell it on him."

"I know, but you did a good thing bringing him here this evening, and we will help him, but just not tonight," Arthur insisted.

Molly sighed. It was very difficult to just let it go when she was quite so certain that the man was doing a truly terrible job of taking care of himself; it was also becoming clear that he was quite seriously depressed. She knew Arthur was right though; she had done what she could, and would continue to do so.

She was not quite sure what it had been that had set Remus on this downward spiral. Possibly just being lonely rattling around by himself in that big, old, empty house. Whatever the cause, the talk of increasing werewolf legislation, that was now being reported every day in the Daily Prophet, was doing nothing to help him. According to Arthur, Umbridge was behind it and that fact just made Molly all the more furious that that woman was being set loose upon Hogwarts. She worried for her children, and for Harry, Draco and Orion; she had a sinking feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better. 

But there wasn't anything to be done about that just now. For the present, she was going to have to talk to Sirius about Remus, and soon; they just couldn't allow Remus to carry on this way.

 


	41. Exhausted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 41.
> 
> This happened quicker than I expected but Erotes has being giving me some minor problems, which does mean this story has gotten more attention than it might have otherwise. I even think I know what I am doing with chapter 42.
> 
> In the meantime, please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you, as always, to my brilliant beta, AchillesTheGeek.

_ Previously: _

_She was not quite sure what it had been that had set Remus on this downward spiral. Possibly just being lonely rattling around by himself in that big, old, empty house. Whatever the cause, the talk of increasing werewolf legislation, that was now being reported every day in the Daily Prophet, was doing nothing to help him. According to Arthur, Umbridge was behind it and that fact just made Molly all the more furious that that woman was being set loose upon Hogwarts. She worried for her children, and for Harry, Draco and Orion; she had a sinking feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better._

_But there wasn't anything to be done about that just now. For the present, she was going to have to talk to Sirius about Remus, and soon; they just couldn't allow Remus to carry on this way._

-#-

Harry and Draco were mostly used to being tired now; it was pretty much inevitable when you were the parents of a three month old. But the weekend taking care of a sick Orion, who was now slowly recovering from his cold and ear infection, had left them completely exhausted. The potions that the nurse had prescribed were definitely helping; their son's fever was down and he didn't seem to be in too much pain, he was even managing to nap lots, on and off. Despite that, neither Harry nor Draco was sleeping well; they were simply too worried about their baby boy.

Sirius was doing a little better at least and had insisted several times on watching Orion so that Harry and Draco could get some sleep; but every time one of them, usually Draco, would wake up within an hour, feeling a desperate need to check up on the poorly little baby boy.

Sirius sighed when heard footsteps come out from Harry and Draco's bedroom, where he had sent the pair of them  nearly two hours ago after Draco nearly collapsed from exhaustion.  He was almost impressed that they had managed to sleep for as long as they had; it was longer than they had gone any other time this weekend.

"Go back to bed, Harry," Sirius said, without even looking up from his book. He already was sure that his godson wouldn't listen but he had to say it at least, had to try.

It was about nine in the evening on Sunday. He was lying, partially propped up with some cushions, on the sofa; Orion was cradled against his chest with one hand and with his other Sirius was holding a book on the Hex and Curse deflection spells that he was planning to start teaching to his fourth years in a couple of weeks time.

"How is...?" Harry started to ask through a yawn and Sirius smiled; while he wanted his godson to get more sleep, he was also proud of what a protective father he was proving to be.

"Orion is just fine," Sirius assured him, closing and putting aside his book as he looked up at his godson. "Actually, he is a lot better, I think. I didn't even have to give him any more potions and his  fever seems to be all gone."

"That's good," Harry said groggily, coming over to them and leaning over the back of the sofa to place a kiss on the top of Orion's head. "I think you're right; he looks peaceful," he said as he ran his fingers through Orion's soft brown hair.

"Harry?" asked Draco's sleepy voice from the doorway to their bedroom.

"Go back to bed, Draco," Sirius droned, though he smiled at Harry as he said it and there was no insistence in the words.

Harry chuckled a little and smiled at his godfather. "Sorry, love," he said, looking over his shoulder and taking in the sight of his sleep-ruffled wife. "I didn't mean to wake you but I just..."

"...Had to check on Orion," Draco finished for him affectionately, stepping up next to him and wrapping an arm around her husband's waist.

"He's doing much better," Sirius told her as she opened her mouth to ask. "I was just going to finish my chapter and then try putting him into his cot, so that we could all get some sleep." He gestured to the now closed book on the coffee table, which honestly was quite a boring read; he was certainly in no hurry to get back to it now that he had put it down.  "Madam Pomfrey would have my neck if I actually do fall asleep in class tomorrow, after the warning she gave me yesterday morning. And before you start apologising, the two of you aren't allowed to sleep in class any more than I am."

"Why don't you let us put him down and then you can head off to bed," Harry suggested, already lifting Orion up carefully and cuddling the sleeping boy against him.

"He is already asleep, Sirius, is it hopefully won't be difficult," Draco pointed out when Sirius went to object. "And like you said, then we can all get some sleep," she suggested.

It was a relief to feel that Orion's temperature felt normal as she cupped her son's tiny face in her hand and ran her thumb over his forehead. Maybe she would be able to sleep without waking up in a panic about Orion now, she was really tired after all and she could easily see that Harry wasn't faring much better; even Sirius, who had managed almost a full night's sleep the night before, looked tired.

"Okay, agreed," Sirius said, swinging his feet to the floor and pushing himself up from the sofa. "But if he doesn't go down easily within the next half an hour, then bring him back to me so you two can get some sleep."

"Sirius..." Harry started to protest; Orion was their son, he was their responsibility, and it wouldn't be fair to keep Sirius awake all night caring for him.

"Harry!" he retorted sternly.

"Half an hour," Draco agreed, guiding Harry towards their bedroom before he could start actually arguing with his godfather; that would achieve nothing other than putting them all in a bad mood and wasting precious minutes which could be spent sleeping.

"Yes, okay I promise," Harry agreed with a frown, "half an hour, though I don't think he is going to even wake up when we lay him down."

"I hope you're right. Sleep well," Sirius called as he headed for his room, but Harry and Draco were already absorbed in checking on their little boy as they carried Orion back towards their bedroom. He didn't really mind; he loved to see the three of them together, it was one of the great joys of the life that he shared with them.

Once inside their room, Draco closed the door and they both headed for Orion's cot; Draco leaned on the side of it as Harry lowered the three month old onto the mattress. Their son's little clenched fists reached up for them, opening up as though trying to grip on to his father; but, despite the little whine that escaped his throat, he didn't wake.

"I don't want him to ever be unwell again," Draco said sadly, as she trailed a hand gently over Orion's head. "It nearly broke my heart; I kept waking up thinking he was just going to have stopped breathing or that his fever would be out of control..."

"I know; me too," Harry said, pulling Draco into his arms, her ear over his steadily beating heart. "We both know this won't be the last time he gets sick though," he pointed out. "I am very glad he is well again though, not least because we both really need to sleep," he added with a chuckle that Draco could hear rumble in his chest.

"Take me to bed, Mr Potter," she said, with a soft smile on her lips.

"With pleasure, Mrs Potter," he replied, picking her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, her head on his shoulder, and Draco was sure she must have fallen asleep there, in her husband's arms, because she didn't remember Harry laying her down on their bed.

-#-

"What did you have to talk to the girl Weasley about?" Daphne asked as she took a seat next to Pansy at the breakfast table on Monday morning.

"I hardly see how that is any concern of yours," Pansy replied a bit snappishly, looking up from her poached eggs and toast to glare at the other girl.

She was more than a little irked that she had been seen talking with the Gryffindor girl, apparently they needed to be a little more selective about when and where they were meeting. But it had been worth it, to have gained such an ally; surprisingly they both seemed to have the same agenda, if they could only figure out some way to make it happen.

It was going to take time, not least because they needed to make sure they were not implicated in any of it; that was the only way they would be able to reap the rewards of their scheming. Everything would, of course, be for nothing if they ended up being held responsible; there would be no gain, and they would certainly lose face and possibly even, in the worst case scenario, end up in Azkaban.

"I just never thought I would see you lower yourself to associating with Blood-traitor riff-raff such as her," Daphne said dismissively. It was no skin off her back if Pansy wanted to destroy the remainder of her tarnished reputation.

"It is simply a mutually beneficial understanding, nothing more," Pansy insisted. And that much, at least, was true; she had no interest in... socialising... with the red-headed bint, that was certain.

-#-

"... do you think they will let him finish school?" Crabbe asked Goyle as the two of them took seats at the table across from the two girls.

"Dunno," Goyle replied with a shrug, as he filled a goblet with juice and handed the jug to his friend. "Doubt they'll let him back here while either of the Potters is still here."

"Yeah, but he still doesn't get out much before we're all done here anyway," Crabbe pointed out to his friend, who nodded in understanding, as he piled four sausages and several fried eggs onto his plate. "And I wouldn't choose to come back here, if it was me."

"Who are you two talking about?" Pansy asked, looking up to glare at the pair of them; though secretly she was rather glad that the arrival of the two boys had curtailed her conversation with Daphne; it had been headed in a very unpleasant direction which she was particularly keen not to continue.

"Theo," Goyle told her as he started to pile his plate up as high Crabbe's.

"What even happened to him?" Daphne asked, her curiosity piqued; she had heard that they hadn't sent him to Azkaban for what he had done, but she hadn't bothered to follow what had happened to him other than that. No-one in Slytherin talked about Theodore Nott anymore, they didn't want to be associated with someone who had been so disgraced; and no-one outside the house cared enough to ask.

"My Father told me that he was put on house arrest for two years and that they snapped his wand," Pansy informed the other girl, before turning back to the two boys, an expectant look on her face as she waited for them to explain why they had been talking about Theo.

"Well, he's almost half way done, isn't he," Goyle said as though it should have been obvious. "We were just saying that it must be pretty boring being stuck at home for two years."

"Better than in Azkaban," Pansy pointed out sharply; she was still half surprised they didn't throw Theo into the prison, particularly given that it had turned out that Draco was married to Potter, and pregnant with his child, at the time.  "And besides he deserved it, that idiot."

"You are hardly one to talk, Pansy," Daphne retorted. Truthfully she felt a little sorry for Pansy, the girl had lost the future that she had believed was hers and was now more or less being sold off to the highest bidder. But that didn't make Pansy's obsession any less of a weapon worth using against her. "The way you yearned after Draco, even after he became a she, was way weirder than Theo just trying to get his leg over."

"I had no problem with Theo going after what he wants," Pansy informed Daphne, pushing away her plate and getting up to leave. "It was the getting caught; that was where he lost my respect."

As she walked away she could feel the eyes of the others on her back; but her mind was elsewhere and she felt a smile twitch on her lips at the realisation that she and Weasley had another potential ally if they were patient enough.

-#-

Remus groaned as he rolled over onto his other side in bed, trying to get more comfortable. He could see the sunlight trying to push its way around the edges of the thick, heavy curtains that hung over his bedroom window.  His mouth was dry and felt revolting; he cracked one eye open enough to glare half-heartedly at the empty bedside table where he was really hoping to see a glass of water.

"Kreacher," he called, his voice rough and catching in his throat, making him cough. "Kreacher," he called again rather more insistently when the elf didn't appear.

There was a popping sound a moment later. "What can Kreacher be doing for the filthy half-breed?" the elf sneered from across the room, as though he didn't want to risk getting too close to a werewolf.

"You can watch your manners and get me a glass of fresh room temperature water," Remus instructed. The house elf had been so much more tolerable when Draco, or even Sirius, was around to enforce some degree of respect from him; but with Remus alone in the house, Kreacher didn't even try to pretend to hide his insults and slurs.

"Of course, Kreacher lives to serve," the house elf said insincerely, before vanishing with a pop.

A second later a glass of water appeared on the bedside table and Remus forced himself to sit up in bed enough to be able to reach it; downing half of it in one go. Placing the glass back on the bedside table, he tipped his head back and closed his eyes; the water had made his throat and mouth feel better, but it had done nothing for his pounding headache nor his churning stomach.

He felt like an idiot; he always felt like an idiot lately. He knew what he was doing to himself and he hated it, yet at the same time he couldn't seem to make himself stop. He was just so angry at himself for being angry at the world; he felt like a petulant child sulking about things that no-one could change.

It wasn't as though Sirius and the Potters didn't want him around, it was just simply not practical and he would see his best friend in a few weeks, on the full moon. He had agreed to visit Molly and Arthur a couple of times at The Burrow, but he always felt like an imposition and when he inevitably failed to shake off his dour mood, he would feel guilty for bring that down upon them.

He was starting to wonder why he had bothered coming back to England at all; of course he had come back for his few remaining friends, but he felt useless. He was failing at making a life for himself and the few enquiries that he had motivated himself enough to make about employment had been swiftly rejected.

He forced his eyes open and tried to ignore the churning nausea in his belly; he really needed to stop drinking so much. Today he would try to stay sober, he would do all he could; he would get out of bed, go downstairs and eat something, apply for a few jobs and then maybe pay a visit to Molly. He was going to do it; he was going to turn his life around.

Remus shuffled forward on the bed and swung his legs to the floor. He had to take a moment to ease his dizziness as he stood, but he was soon heading for the door and down the stairs, all the way to the kitchen. He didn't even have to ask before Kreacher placed a plate of food in front of him.

And then he couldn't. He sighed and rested his head in his hands, crying quietly; he couldn't do it. He couldn't even make himself eat he realised, pushing the plate away and resting his head on his folded arms, on top of the table. He would just close his eyes for a few, maybe take a short nap; maybe he would be able to do something after that.

-#-

Harry really was trying very hard to pay attention to what Professor Flitwick was telling them, but, despite a comparatively decent night's sleep, he was still exhausted and unable to stop yawning. He loved his son very much and he was fairly sure there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for Orion, but he really did wish that he could have gotten some more sleep.

"You alright, mate?" Ron asked, looking at him with concern as Harry's mouth stretched wide with yet another yawn that he covered with his hand.

"Yeah, just kind..." Harry had to stop to yawn again, rubbing at his eyes to keep himself awake, "... kind of tired," he finished, giving Ron a wry smile.

"Really...?" Ron said sarcastically. "I would never have figured that much out."

Harry rubbed at his eyes again and tried to focus on what Flitwick had written on the board, but honestly he wasn't sure he had heard a single thing that the man had said. He was hoping that Orion would like the idea of a nap this afternoon while he would be looking after him; though, on the other hand, hopefully their son was letting Draco sleep at the moment, which would likely mean the little boy would be wide awake for him later.

"...could all bring your essays up to my desk," Professor Flitwick said and Harry groaned at the idea of having to get to his feet and walk the length of the classroom.

"Give it here, I'll take it up for you," Ron said with exasperation as he snatched the piece of parchment from Harry's hand. "How you found time to do this homework and yet not enough time to sleep I have no idea," he said, as he stacked it with his own.

"Draco and I took turns to take care of Orion and do our homework," Harry explained, dropping his head onto the desk.

As Ron went to put the parchment on Flitwick's desk, Hermione appeared at his side, having seen that he hadn't moved up to the front.  "Harry, did you not do the essay?" she asked sounding truly scandalised at the very idea.

"Ron's handing it in," Harry told her, his voice coming out a little muffled from where he was leaning on his folded arms.

"Oh, good," Hermione said sternly, feeling a little bad for not having more faith in her friend as she sat down on Ron's empty chair. "Are you alright?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Harry managed to turn his head, still leaning on the desk, and smile at her. "Just tired, Hermione," he explained. "Orion wasn't big on letting any of us sleep this weekend; I am just glad it wasn't during the week, that probably would have killed us."

"Surely he slept, though; couldn't you have slept when he did?" Hermione asked, looking confused.

"Yeah, for a little while, but he never slept long and even when he did me and Draco were too worried to actually stay asleep," Harry explained. "He is our son, Hermione, I just love him so much and seeing him in pain like that..."

"He's all better now though, right?" Ron said as he came back to their desk, patting Harry on the shoulder.

"He seems to be," Harry told them, his relief all over his face and in his voice. "He was all huffy chuckles and wriggly limbs this morning," he told them happily, sitting up because they really should get to the Great Hall for lunch.

Umbridge was still causing problems for anyone who didn't show up often enough and sit at the correct tables and honestly Harry had too many other things to be thinking about to be worrying about that too. Plus he didn't really want Orion at the Slytherin table, even if it was with Draco, so he wanted to be there to take over the care of their little boy.

"I'm really glad to hear that, Harry," Hermione said earnestly, squeezing his hand briefly before going back to her table, which was the one behind his and Ron's, to pack her books away. "I said I would meet Luna in the library quickly, so how about I will meet you both in the Great Hall," she suggested, as Harry and Ron also started to pack away their things.

"Sure," Harry agreed, not missing the way Ron's face scrunched up into a frown, though he kept his back to Hermione so that she wouldn't see. Hermione looked a bit concerned by the way Ron was avoiding looking at her but apparently decided it was a discussion for another day as she swung her bag onto her back and headed for the door. "Okay, what was that about?" Harry demanded, turning to his best friend the moment Hermione was gone.

"Hermione and Luna, they have this whole study buddy friendship thing going on. It's... weird," Ron said, throwing his quill without looking at it and pulling the bag over his shoulder and leading them towards the door.

"As weird as that might be, I was more talking about your reaction," Harry explained; if he wasn't very much mistaken Ron was actually jealous.

"It's nothing," he said a little grumpily hurrying ahead out of the classroom. He didn't want to talk about it, particularly not with Harry.

 Harry was his best friend, sure, but he never wanted to imply that Harry should feel guilty for spending time with his wife and son, and Ron was certain that no matter his intentions that that was how it would end up sounding. He just missed the way things used to be between the three of them and without Harry it seemed they were drifting apart.

"Hey, it obviously isn't nothing," Harry said, as he jogged to catch up with Ron, putting a hand on the red-head's arm to slow him down.

Ron turned to glare at his friend. "I just miss how things used to be sometimes, okay?" he told Harry a bit impatiently.

Harry released his grip on Ron's arm, looking hurt and a little stunned. He wasn't really sure what to say to that; he supposed there were moments when he wished things were more like how they used to be, when they were simpler, but he also loved his family and wouldn't give them up for the world.

Ron sighed. "I didn't mean... Harry!" he called out, as his best friend turned to leave and he was relieved when Harry waited.  "I understand that things change, and I am not complaining about you spending time with your family, but I just miss you; and now Hermione's spending all this time with Luna... Can we just go get some lunch and forget I said anything?" he suggested. He didn't want to fight over this and he knew it would be easier when Orion was a bit older.

"I miss you too," Harry admitted, turning back around and giving his friend a wry smile. "I miss both you and Hermione, but between school and Orion... You know that you are both welcome in Draco's and my rooms, right?"

"Yeah, I know, I just..." Ron seemed to run out of words and shrugged his shoulders.

"I would really like it if you came over to our rooms," Harry told him as the pair of them started walking towards the Great Hall. "Perhaps not tonight because both Draco and I are so tired, but later this week?"

"I'd like that," Ron told him.

"Good," Harry said, smiling happily. "So... what's going on with Hermione and Luna?"

-#-

Harry and Draco were both in Herbology and Sirius was rather enjoying the time with his honorary Grandson to recover from the troublesome second year Gryffindor and Slytherins he had been teaching that morning. Thankfully the fifth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws he had that afternoon were one of his favourite groups of students, the majority of them studying hard for their OWL exams that they would be sitting in less than a year.

Sirius was sat on the sofa with Orion on his lap, the little boy leaning back against his chest; he was holding a book open for them both to see. It was a baby book, with thick pages and large bright pictures of animals that all moved and made noises when you opened the page to them.

"That's a cow, Orion," Sirius told him as he turned the page to reveal a picture showing a herd of cattle eating grass and mooing. Apparently it was hilarious, because the three month old boy gave a squeal of delight as he reached his hands out, grasping as though trying to catch the animals right off the page.

"Well he certainly sounds like he is doing better," Molly said happily as she stepped out of the fireplace and into the room, smiling at how happy Orion sounded. She had been so worried when she had had a letter over the weekend from Harry informing her that the little boy had developed an ear infection.

"He has bounced back a lot quicker than we have," Sirius told her, as he looked up at her. "We are all still tired and in need of sleep, but now he just wants to play all the time."

"That's children for you," Molly said with a chuckle, taking a seat on the sofa next to them and accepting Orion onto her lap. But it seemed that he wasn't done reading, because he continued to reach for the book in Sirius' hand, making little whining and protesting noises; Molly quickly took the book and opened it to a picture of a Crup which was bounding around the page letting out little happy yelps.

"He really likes that book," Sirius said with grin, as Molly turned over the page to show Welsh Green Dragon. "So what do we own the pleasure of your company to? Just checking up on us?"                                                                                                                  

"Well I did want to see how this little guy was doing," she admitted, hugging Orion to her as he patted one of his small hands against the fire-breathing Dragon that was storming about the page. "But I also wanted to talk to you about Remus."

"What about him?" Sirius asked with sudden concern; he hadn't felt right about letting his friend go back to Grimmauld Place alone but he had thought that he would be okay until the next full moon at least.

"I am really worried about him. He's drinking, Sirius," Molly told him bluntly; there was no point beating around the bush on the issue.

"We all need a drink now or then," Sirius said dismissively; honestly he had expected to hear something much worse than that from the concern in Molly's voice.

"Sirius, I'm not talking about the occasional nightcap," she explained. "He's seriously depressed from what I can tell; he isn't looking after himself at all. We've had him over for dinner a few times, but he never stays long and always refuses to stay over. It's as though he thinks we don't want him around."

"I knew letting him move back there on his own wasn't going to be a good idea," Sirius said with a sigh; he just wished that his friend could be there at Hogwarts with them, but, particularly with Umbridge around, that would just be a bad idea. That woman had some serious issues with werewolves from what he had heard, and she had enough of a vendetta against Harry and Draco without adding Remus into the mix.

"I have been doing what I can, but I am not sure what else to try. I think he needs to spend some time with you, Sirius," Molly said sternly.

Harry was like a son to her, and therefore Sirius had become family by extension; she was more than happy to do everything she could for Remus, largely for their sakes, but when it came down to it, she would never have that same bond that Sirius had with him. She really did want to help him though; Remus was a good man.

"How do you suppose I do that, Molly?" Sirius demanded a little impatiently. "Between teaching and taking care of Orion, I hardly have a lot of free time; and I need to be around for Harry and Draco too."

"I'll come here some evenings, stay with Harry, Draco and Orion, and then you can go over to Grimmauld Place," Molly suggested.

"It's worth a try," Sirius agreed with a sigh, resting his head in his hands; it was going to be exhausting, but he would do what he could for his remaining friend. "I just hope he will let me help him."

“Good,” said Molly approvingly, glossing over the dejected tone in Sirius’s voice. “Well, there’s no time like the present; how about I come over this evening? I can bring a casserole or something for you, if you would like to take something share with him.”

"I am taking care of Orion this evening while Harry and Draco have potions," Sirius told her quickly. He almost winced at how much of an excuse it sounded like; was he really that worried about having to try and help his friend through his depression? Sirius quickly reached the conclusion that, yes, he definitely didn't feel comfortable about it.

Molly, however, was having none of it. "Well then, I will get to enjoy some delightful one-on-one time with Orion this evening; I might even bring Arthur over to keep us company," she suggested sounding quite enamoured with the whole plan.

Sirius looked up at her, rather shocked. He didn’t know how she could be so positive; but here she was trying to do the very best for Remus. What sort of friend was he, if he didn’t do the same? He wasn't sure that he was up to the task of really helping the werewolf, but he reminded himself that he was a Gryffindor and that meant he was supposed to be brave. Who knows, maybe it would be fun.

“Yes,” he smiled, a new determination coming into his voice. “Yes, I think I’d like that.”


	42. Evening Visits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I present to you all, chapter 42.
> 
> Massive apologies for how long it has taken me to update this; it took me ages to get it written, and then with my hurry to get Erotes sorted for its anniversary post, completely forgot about posting this chapter. 
> 
> In the meantime, please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you, as always, to my brilliant beta, AchillesTheGeek.

_ Previously: _

_"I am taking care of Orion this evening while Harry and Draco have potions," Sirius told her quickly. He almost winced at how much of an excuse it sounded like; was he really that worried about having to try and help his friend through his depression? Sirius quickly reached the conclusion that, yes, he definitely didn't feel comfortable about it._

_Molly, however, was having none of it. "Well then, I will get to enjoy some delightful one-on-one time with Orion this evening; I might even bring Arthur over to keep us company," she suggested sounding quite_ _enamoured_ _with the whole plan._

_Sirius looked up at her, rather shocked. He didn't know how she could be so positive; but here she was trying to do the very best for Remus. What sort of friend was he, if he didn't do the same? He wasn't sure that he was up to the task of really helping the werewolf, but he reminded himself that he was a Gryffindor and that meant he was supposed to be brave. Who knows, maybe it would be fun._

_"Yes," he smiled, a new determination coming into his voice. "Yes, I think I'd like that."_

-#-

That evening Molly Weasley, with Arthur in tow, turned up at the Potter family rooms in Hogwarts, just as she had told Sirius she would. Poor Arthur was still in his work robes; he had barely gotten home from work before she had placed a casserole in his arms and hurriedly taken him by the arm, informing him that she was going to apparate them to Hogsmeade. From there they had enjoyed the pleasant walk up to the castle while Molly had explained her plan for the evening.

Harry and Draco were delighted to see them both, knowing that their three and a half month old son was completely safe in Molly and Arthur's care; and, once the plan for Sirius was explained, they both thought that Sirius visiting Remus was an excellent idea. Sirius, however, started fretting as soon as he had let the Weasleys through the door.

"I am really not sure I am the person to send," Sirius grumbled, as Molly took the casserole dish from Arthur and placed it in his arms. He was still sure that he was going to say the wrong thing or just end up upsetting Remus; serious heart-to-heart conversations were just not really his style.

"You're his best friend, Sirius," Arthur pointed out kindly. "I believe that Molly is correct in her assumption that you would be the best person to speak with him on this; we all need a friend sometimes."

"At least you can make sure he eats properly this evening," Molly instructed firmly; she was very much of the opinion that a hearty home-cooked meal was a suitable remedy for the majority of life's problems.

Sirius' response was cut off by a cute high-pitched baby giggle as Harry came out of his and Draco's room with Orion cuddled against his chest. "Orion, what are you doing?" Harry asked half laughing as the little boy tried to turn around and look for the source of the voices that he had evidently heard.

"Just being a curious little boy, that's all," Molly said as came over and took her grandson, so that she could have some cuddles with him. Sirius placed the casserole on the table in their rooms and took a seat there; he had no idea why but he had an urge to rush across the room and steal Orion back from her; he repressed it and reminded himself that it wasn't a competition for the little boy's affections and that Molly neither would nor could ever take the Potters from him.

"You will have all evening with him, Molly," Arthur pointed out, with fond exasperation. It was obvious how much his wife doted on Orion and, although he hadn't spent a great deal of time with Harry's son, he could understand why; the boy was adorable and grandson to them in all but blood.

"But our son is irresistible," Draco stated as she followed her husband into the living room of their quarters, looking over to where Molly was showing Orion to Arthur, the little boy reaching up trying to get hold of Molly's red hair. Harry rolled his eyes at his wife's smug expression, though he agreed completely.

"I suppose he does have a certain charm," Sirius teased; he had been besotted with Orion since the day he had been born, and they all knew it, but he did so enjoy the way comments like that one made Draco scowl at him; he had to keep himself amused somehow.

"Is he getting your hair, Harry?" Arthur asked, as he ran his fingers through Orion's dark brown hair.

"It's looking like it," Harry told him, laughing a little at the mildly annoyed expression on Draco's face. "Doesn't he look just like Draco though," he went on, going over and peering down at his son in Molly's arms. Orion let out huffy little giggles as he reached up at his father's face above him. "He likes being adored like his mother too," Harry added earning himself a swat to the arm as Draco gathered up the books they needed to take to potions class.

Draco didn't even try to deny that one; she had, of course, not enjoyed the negative attention she had had on occasion, but she really did like having those around her being at least slightly envious of her. She remembered the way that many of the Slytherins had looked up to her, when she had still been a him; she did miss the adoration, the automatic respect she had been given back then simply by being a Malfoy.

Everything was different now, of course; but the respect of her friends meant so much more now she had actually earned it. But she had no time for getting lost in such thoughts; they still had ten minutes before they had to be in the potions classroom, but Professor Snape would not tolerate them arriving late for any reason.

"We should probably get going, Harry," Draco pointed out.

"Yes, go," Molly agreed, pretending to nibble on Orion's fingers as the little boy reached up to her mouth.

Harry nodded his agreement, accepting his book bag from his wife; things had been going relatively smoothly between him and the potions master and, much to everyone's surprise and delight, he was starting to show some improvement. Though Professor Snape had promptly insisted that he could hardly have gotten any worse.

"Be good for Grandma and Grandpa," Harry told Orion, pressing a kiss to his son's cheek.

"There are bottles on milk on the side that will just need warming up," Draco told her, gesturing to where they kept the bottles of milk she had expressed. "I have put out spare nappies and a change of clothes on the bed in case you need them; he had a nap this afternoon so he will probably stay awake but..."

"Draco," Molly interrupted gently. She understood the motherly need to know that her child was okay, but it was hardly as though this was the first time she had taken care of Orion; though, admittedly, it was the first time she would be caring for the boy for several hours without his parents present. "We will be just fine, I have raised seven children after all," she pointed out.

The blonde was half tempted to make some comment about how Molly's youngest had turned out, but she felt that would be fairly churlish given how Molly had defended them against Ginny's antics on more than one occasion. Not to mention the woman had come all the way to Hogwarts to allow Sirius to spend time with Remus and would be spending the evening caring for their young son.

"Besides we know exactly where you are if we need you for anything, and we also know where Sirius is," Arthur pointed out.

Draco wasn't really worried but she still never liked being away from Orion and it had even taken a while to get used to leaving him with Sirius, and she didn't know Molly nearly as well; Harry didn't like being away from Orion either, but he had known Molly for many years, and knew that their little boy couldn't be left in safer hands.

"Come on," Harry prompted, wrapping his arm around Draco's waist. "We really don't want to be late."

"I love you, little man," Draco said, kissing Orion's cheek, just like Harry did. She caught her son's hand and kissed that too, when he reached out for her.

"Have fun, Sirius," Harry said turning to Sirius as the young couple headed for the door to their rooms. "And send Remus our love."

"Will do," Sirius agreed. Once Harry and Draco had closed the door behind them, he got to his feet and turned to Molly and Arthur. "I should probably head out too," he said, before pausing for a moment. "I have no idea how late I will be there," he pointed out, looking a little worried.

"It is quite alright, Sirius," Molly assured. "If need be, I have no issue with staying here with them all evening."

"Oh, I can't expect you to..." Sirius started to object.

"They are my family too, Sirius," Molly pointed out stubbornly; sometimes she wondered if Sirius actually remembered that he didn't have an exclusive claim on the Potters. There were a lot of people around who loved and cared for the young family. "I am as much Orion's grandparent and guardian as you are, I love Harry like a son and Draco is like a daughter-in-law, and I love her as such too."

"I know," Sirius said. "I will try to be back this evening, but..."

"You just focus on Remus this evening," Arthur told him, "we have things covered here." Taking care of one three month old baby was nothing that would faze either him or his wife, after the many years of their own brood. At the moment, it was important that they help Remus get back on a more positive path, which was likely going to prove to be a far greater challenge than Orion's care.

"Thank you," Sirius said earnestly, picking up the casserole he had placed down on the table. "It might not always seem like it, but I really do appreciate your help," he told them as he headed for the door, glancing over his shoulder once more to the sight of the Weasleys cooing over their first born grandchild.

He reminded himself that he didn't have to worry about anything here at Hogwarts, and turned his mind to his friend, who was apparently in great need of… something. He didn't know what; perhaps that was what really worried him.

-#-

Remus was sitting at the large table in the kitchen of Grimmauld place, feeling decidedly nervous. He had received letters from both Sirius and Molly earlier that day, informing him of their plans and that Sirius was going to bring dinner over for them to eat together. It was strange because he knew he shouldn't feel nervous, but he couldn't help it.

The knowledge that Sirius would be showing up later had kept him from drinking that day. The last thing he needed, on top of everything else, was his best friend making accusations about him being an alcoholic or even just that he was drinking too much; though he was sure that Molly had already formed the latter opinion and had told Sirius as much.

He had made himself a ham sandwich for lunch in an attempt to take care of himself, but he just couldn't find his appetite and after two small bites he hadn't been able to stomach eating any more. He hated the wastefulness of it, but there was nothing to be done about that; Kreacher had disposed of the sandwich a little while later.

_Knock, Knock._

Remus looked up at the sound of someone banging on the front door; it wasn't as though he didn't know exactly who it was but he still found himself hesitating. Maybe he could just pretend he wasn't home, that he hadn't received their owls earlier, he thought to himself, but he wasn't quite that cowardly and it was only Sirius after all.

He pushed himself to his feet and headed towards the front door. Maybe they could even have a nice time this evening, he thought hopefully; that might actually be what he needed to get out of the terrible moods and thoughts that plagued him lately. Molly had also promised that she would be sending along one of her excellent casseroles, something that would be a significant improvement on his own attempts at cooking and Kreacher's slapdash meals.

"Evening, Remus," Sirius said happily as the werewolf pulled open the front door.

"It's good to see you," Remus responded, glad to realise that there was truth in the words.

"I come bearing gifts of Molly's cooking," Sirius said, holding up the casserole dish as though making an offering. "Is this enough to earn entry to this humble abode?" he asked with a smirk on his lips.

Remus gave a snort of amusement. "This is your house, and it isn't particularly humble either," he pointed out, accepting the dish nonetheless. "Get in and stop being an idiot," he chastised affectionately, as he stepped aside to allow his best friend through the door, closing it behind him. Remus couldn't help the smile on his face; maybe this had been what he needed after all.

Sirius was thinking along the same lines; he had gotten so used to being a parent or grandparent lately, and more recently a teacher as well, that he had not had much chance to really just let go and be silly with his friend. Even the last full moon had been heavy with the knowledge that Remus would be going back to Grimmauld Place alone.

"Let's eat," Sirius said decisively, stepping around his friend and leading the way to the kitchen. Remus smiled happily, nodded his agreement, and followed.

-#-

Molly and Arthur were sat on the sofa in the Potters' rooms, watching Orion; the little boy was lying on his belly pushing up on his arms and reaching for the various rattles and toys that they kept placing in front of him. Of course, most of these ended up getting chewed on, but that was to be expected, and he seemed to be having a great time, if his little giggles and excited noises were anything to go by.

"This is rather lovely, I miss having a baby around sometimes," Arthur admitted; they had spent so many years always having a child under two that even now that their youngest was fifteen and rapidly approaching adulthood, it was still strange not having a young child to care for.

"Me too," Molly agreed. "Though I think that I might enjoy doing this as a grandparent instead. I am not sure I have the patience for all those sleepless nights anymore."

Arthur chuckled; his wife made an excellent point. It was looking likely that their eldest, Bill, might end up giving them another grandchild before long anyway, seeing the way that Fleur had been looking at Orion over the summer. Though they all thought the two of them would likely choose to marry first.

Molly leaned into his side and he wrapped his arm around her, placing a kiss to her temple. Yes, he definitely could get on board with the being grandparents thing he thought, if it meant time with the children and time with his lovely wife.

-#-

"This is really great," Remus said as he dug into his serving of Molly's casserole. "You have no idea how great this is compared to the rubbish Kreacher makes; it isn't as though I am much of a cook myself."

Sirius gave a laugh at that; he remembered one time when Remus had attempted to cook dinner for their friends and it had been completely inedible, though that might have been in part thanks to James' help. Lily had been very amused; she had told them that it had been sweet of them to try but also refused to eat any of it, and made them promise not ever mistreat her kitchen in such a way again.

"You can almost taste the love that Molly puts into her cooking," Sirius agreed. "The house elves at Hogwarts make great food too, of course, but I am glad to share a meal with you my old friend," he said, holding his glass of juice up in a toast.

Remus raised his glass too. "It is nice to have company," he told him. He focused on eating; he still didn't have much of an appetite despite the quality of the food but Sirius had an expression on his face that meant he was building up to asking difficult and probably unwelcome questions.

Sirius seemed happy to allow their conversation to be put off for a little longer too, and followed his friend's lead, choosing to finish off his helping, before taking seconds. He stabbed his fork into a piece of meat with a sigh and looked up at his friend. "Remus..." he said hesitantly.

"I'm fine, Sirius," the werewolf responded all too quickly.

"Molly and Arthur seem to think otherwise," Sirius bit back. "And I know you well enough that if you felt the need to tell me you're fine, then you probably aren't, so stop worrying about causing me problems and tell me what's going on."

"I'm..." Remus had been about to say he was fine, but he couldn't bring himself to lie that blatantly to his friend, not after Sirius had gone to such efforts to come and be supportive. He knew that his best friend wouldn't have been really comfortable with talking about feelings and the like. "I am not really sure what is wrong. Honestly," he added when Sirius looked sceptical.

"I know it must be frustrating being here alone, but maybe you need to find something to do with yourself?" Sirius suggested. "I never thought the whole teaching thing would work for me, even if I was prepared to do it for Harry, but it is great to have a purpose, to do something for me."

"And who do you suppose is going to hire a werewolf?" Remus snapped back angrily, getting to his feet. "The years I spend with the clans might have changed me, and helped me, but nothing has changed here." He hadn't meant to take his frustrations out on his friend, but it wasn't like he didn't want to do something with his life; he was just tired of being shunned.

"Not everyone is prejudiced against you, Remus," Sirius argued, getting to his own feet, leaning across the table to glare at his friend. "I know it isn't easy, but your furry problem is always a good excuse for you to grumble and complain about how unfair it all is."

"Sirius..." Remus said softly, genuinely hurt by his friends harsh words, even if he couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to them. He didn't like to think that he had just been making excuses and he wanted to fight back and tell Sirius that he was wrong, but he couldn't summon the energy.

"I'm sorry, old friend," Sirius said, going to move around the table, but Remus was already turning and heading for the door out into the hall. "I just want to help you, Remus," he called as he followed the werewolf from the room, the sound of footfall on the stairs a moment later told him where his friend was going. "Remus!" he shouted, but he got no response,

Sirius headed up the stairs after the werewolf, banging his fist against the door of the werewolf's room, which had been warded to prevent him entering. "Remus, I'm sorry," he tried, but there was no response. He sunk to the floor, his back against the door, and rested his head in his hands; he couldn't help but wonder how he always managed to say the wrong thing.

-#-

Harry and Molly were sat on the floor playing with Orion, when Sirius returned; Arthur was sat on one of the sofas watching on but Draco had decided to take an early night. It was getting late and they had been hopeful that the two old friends had gotten caught up talking, but Sirius looking tired, angry and more miserable than any of them had seen him in sometime.

"Sirius?" Harry questioned, his voice laced with concern at the sight of his godfather.

"I'm going to bed," Sirius told him bluntly, barely looking at any of them.

"Sirius," Molly said sternly, not liking his attitude one bit. Not to mention that she was worried about Remus; if this was the state of Sirius, she dreaded to think how the werewolf must be. True to his word, however, Sirius continued past them and disappeared through the door to his room, pulling it harshly closed behind him.

"I have a rather sinking feeling that all has not quite gone as planned," Arthur said, letting out a sigh of disappointment. Molly, however, was looking rather annoyed and was half way to her feet when Arthur spoke again. "Let him go," he told his wife.

"Shouldn't one of us go check on Remus?" Harry asked, his eyes fixed on Sirius' closed bedroom door and a worried expression on his face. He couldn't imagine what might have caused his godfather to have such a reaction, but he was certain that it was nothing good.

"I'll go," Molly said, but Arthur was already on his feet and placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her getting up.

"Stay here with Harry and Orion," he said, not wanting to leave them alone with Sirius. It wasn't that he thought that the man would do them any harm, but if something happened, it seemed unlikely that Sirius would be in any state to help. "I will be back shortly, or else I will contact you and let you know what is going on."

Placing a kiss on his wife's temple he headed for the door. He was sure that the two men had probably just had some kind of disagreement, but, at the moment, even that might be enough to send Remus over the edge.

-#-

"Remus?" Arthur called out as he entered Grimmauld Place. The house felt still and empty, which he supposed was not all that surprising given the fairly large residence was only housing one person at the moment.

He checked the front room and the kitchen first, finding both empty, and was so far simply thankful not to have found the man drowning his sorrows once more. Molly's casserole dish was on the kitchen table and it seemed that Remus and Sirius had actually eaten more than half of it before whatever had happened between them had occurred.

"Kreacher," he called, and there was a pop that signified the arrival of the house elf behind him. He turned to see the elf standing, bloodshot eyes glaring at him impatiently.

"What is the blood traitor be wanting with Kreacher?" the aged house elf asked with what Arthur presumed was a sneer. He wasn't exactly bothered by this house elf's terrible manners and had been called much more insulting things, by far worse people, in his time.

"I would like you to tell me where Remus is," Arthur stated simply.

"The werewolf be sleeping in his room," Kreacher informed him. "Master Sirius be making the werewolf very angry," the elf told him with unconcealed delight.

Arthur frowned; presumably Kreacher had enjoyed witnessing the conflict, or else just enjoyed watching Remus suffer. The old house elf disliked Sirius immensely but loathed Remus even more; though apparently Kreacher's attitude had improved somewhat since Draco's arrival in the house, but that had done nothing to temper the elf's disgust at having to serve a werewolf, particularly one living in his precious mistress' house.

"Thank you, Kreacher," Arthur said, heading back out of the kitchen and up the stairs. He would check on Remus and then head back to Hogwarts; hopefully Molly and he could actually get home and sleep at something like a sensible hour.

He hesitantly tried to open the door to Remus' room, not wanting to wake the man up, but it wouldn't budge. It seemed that the werewolf really had wanted to be left alone because there was some kind of spell keeping him out; it surely would have kept Sirius out too. He sighed; obviously the two old friends had more issues to work through than any of them had anticipated.

-#-

Cornelius Fudge liked being Minister for Magic very much. He liked the pomp and ceremony, and how everyone wanted to know him. He liked the power and influence the position gave him and he liked living the high life; he had every intention of ensuring the position remained his for as long as possible, or at least until he decided to retire.

This was at least part of the reason he had taken on board the rather strongly worded suggestion to implement a few new procedures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The institution was one that almost every person of Magical ability in Britain attended and, as such, was held in high esteem; the potential for political influence and power, when dealing with educational matters, was not lost on Fudge.

In his most humble opinion, the appointment of a High Inquisitor had been a most welcome and valuable idea, and the choice of Madam Umbridge was nothing short of inspired. She would not pull her punches when laying down her thoughts and findings about the current faculty.

Her first report had been evidence enough of that. It was clearly a preliminary assessment as it had only been a few weeks since the start of term, but already she had been able to inform him about the atrocious Divination teacher, the brute of a Care of Magical Creatures teacher and the incredibly lacking Muggle Studies course.

None of it was unexpected, though it was pleasing to see how quickly she was able to find fault with the high-and-mighty Dumbledore. However, he had been rather surprised to see the reference to the school's potions master; there was nothing condemning but there were queries regarding some additional lessons she believed him to be teaching.

And then there were her concerns regarding the Potter family; he was not sure what about the situation had her quite so worked up but she clearly felt strongly that the boy... Orion James Potter, aged three and a half months, he read from the file... should not be left in the care of his parents nor raised at Hogwarts.

Fudge was of course aware of the Potters' situation but he had not been following the case closely; now, however, he made a point to send for the file. His gut reaction was that Umbridge's concerns were valid; he would speak with the head of Child Services, but only once he was better versed in the relevant facts.

At least the Headmaster hadn't been foolish enough to try and stop Umbridge; though it would have been most interesting to see how the School Governors would have handled that. He was feeling decidedly pleased. It was a most interesting first report, Fudge thought to himself as he leaned back in his well-upholstered chair, sipping on a fine vintage port; it gave him a lot to be thinking about and it really did feel good to be ahead of Dumbledore on something for once.


	43. Health

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Wow, it has been a really really long time since I updated this. I apologise and hope you will all forgive me, life kind of got away from me, and the story I am co-writing (Fragmented Soul - which will probably be updated either this evening or this weekend) sort of took over my life for a while. I rwas planning to upload this earlier this week but I have had a mentally very difficult week and so this is the first time I have actually felt up to managing it. I really hope you enjoy this update; I do have the next chapter ready as well now, which I will upload in a couple of weeks. I would love to promise you updates on a bi-weekly basis, but I don't want to make promises I can't keep; however, I will do my best to update at least once a month in future. :) Thank you all for your patience.  
> (p.s. I am also working on an update for Erotes, but it is going to be a little while longer waiting for that one yet, but it is on its way I promise)
> 
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek, who was, as always, a great help in making sure this chapter was up to scratch.
> 
> I probably shouldn't need to say this by now, but warnings and disclaimers apply
> 
> Enjoy.

_ Previously: _

_Fudge was of course aware of the Potters' situation but he had not been following the case closely; now, however, he made a point to send for the file. His gut reaction was that Umbridge's concerns were valid; he would speak with the head of Child Services, but only once he was better versed in the relevant facts._

_At least the Headmaster hadn't been foolish enough to try and stop Umbridge; though it would have been most interesting to see how the School Governors would have handled that. He was feeling decidedly pleased. It was a most interesting first report, Fudge thought to himself as he leaned back in his well-upholstered chair, sipping on a fine vintage port; it gave him a lot to be thinking about and it really did feel good to be ahead of Dumbledore on something for once._

-#-

Remus was lying on his back, on top of the bed covers, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom in Grimmauld Place. He knew he should get up, he knew he should go wash and change his clothes, he knew he should probably eat something, but he just couldn't find the energy. It had been more than three days since his argument with Sirius and the majority of those he had spent in bed, going between unable to sleep and being too exhausted to get up.

He wasn't even sure why Sirius' words had hurt him so badly, but they had; and every time he tried to reason with himself that his friend was just trying to help, he just found himself so agitated he wanted to scream. He was wondering if perhaps his friend was right, that he was avoiding life and using his Lycanthropy as an excuse, but that truly wasn't something he had ever done deliberately.

He had heard Arthur and Molly when they had banged on the door, trying to get him to let them in, but he really just wanted to be left alone at the moment. Arthur had come over that first night, not long after Sirius left, and he and Molly had been taking turns each day since. He felt strangely numb most of the time, but there were occasional patches of melancholy, where he cried; he wasn’t sure which he preferred.

Kreacher had brought him food most evenings; Molly’s cooking, he guessed, though he couldn’t be certain. He knew that she was trying to help but it just made him feel worse every time the house elf popped into the room and left him his dinner. He felt guilty that she was going to all that effort to prepare him food and he couldn’t even bring himself to eat any; he felt guilty when he knew how hard Molly, Arthur and Sirius were trying, and he couldn’t even manage to drag himself out of bed.

He felt like a complete failure and was starting to think he might be better off back with the werewolf clans; though he didn’t think they would have much tolerance for his current moods, and if he couldn’t hunt, then they were likely to leave him to just go hungry.

 He had another week before the full moon and he knew he should probably try and speak to Sirius before then; though after how their dinner had gone he wasn’t sure that his friend would want to spend the evening with him, even if he was in wolf form and therefore unable to say anything stupid.

Maybe today would be the day he would actually get up and get dressed; maybe today he would be able to make himself eat something, anything. On the plus side, he hadn’t actually drunk anything in more than two days, but that was only because he couldn’t find the energy to go downstairs and find a bottle to replace the empty one on the floor by his bed.

Blinking slowly, Remus sighed. He really hated himself for being this way but didn’t seem to be able to snap himself out of it. He was such a failure and he certainly didn’t deserve the kindness of Sirius or the Weasleys. And with that thought he rolled over on the bed, his head resting on his crossed arms, crying softly as he drifted back off to sleep.

-#-

Orion was fussing and wriggling in his mother's arms, making it rather difficult for Draco to keep hold of her son, despite Harry’s attempts to help. The young family was sat on the edge of a bed in the hospital wing a full week after the horrible moment they had discovered Orion’s fever and the not quite four month old baby had fully recovered from his bout of illness. This did mean, however, that he no longer wanted to spend a single moment remaining still but the young parents were determined to get him checked over just to be sure and this was the first chance they had had to do so, as they had been busy with lessons, homework and childcare all week.

"Well, I think we can safely say that this young man is fully healthy once more," Madam Pomfrey assured the young parents happily. It had been almost as difficult to see Harry and Draco so worried for their son, as it had been to see Orion in pain; almost.

"He certainly seems like his normal self," Harry told her, letting Orion grab hold of one of his fingers and wiggling it to tickle the little boy’s belly. He wasn't surprised to hear that his son was well again given how much happier Orion clearly was, but it was still nice to have confirmation.

"He is interested in everything going on around him, is babbling at us all the time, getting stronger," Draco added, with no small amount of pride. Orion had been increasingly reaching for everything around him and managing to get hold of things more easily. He had been pushing himself up on his arms, when they lay him down on his front, for a little while now, and delighting in his new ability to roll over onto his back so that he could play with his own toes. "And his appetite is greater than ever," the young mother told the nurse.

"That is likely because his stomach is growing," Madam Pomfrey said, stroking Orion's cheek with one finger. "He should be eating less frequently too, now that he is taking larger meals" she added, and the Potters both nodded, pleased to hear that their son seemed to be progressing normally.

“Does that mean we might get a little more sleep?” Harry asked hopefully. He felt bad complaining about how tired he was, but he and Draco were really struggling to keep up with their school work, despite the fact that they were both only taking the essential classes they needed.

“He will need night feeds for a little while yet, but he might stop waking so often,” she explained, giving Harry a sympathetic smile; she couldn’t imagine how exhausting it must be for them both, trying to manage to juggle all their responsibilities.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Harry said as he got to his feet, taking Orion from his wife when the little boy flexed his body and nearly managed to throw himself out of his mother's arms.

"Not at all,” the nurse told him with a broad genuine smile; she was fond of many of the students under her care, but found that she had come to care a great deal for the young family. “I am very glad to see you both doing a great job with him," she said kindly as she walked Draco, Harry and Orion to the large doors that lead back out into the rest of the school.

"Don't suppose you could happen to mention that to Umbridge," Draco said bitterly. The woman hadn't exactly caused them any major problems, but she was watching them, closely, waiting for one of them to do something she could use against them, they were sure.

The High Inquisitor had mostly taken it upon herself to enforce the existing school rules, including some of the more dated ones that the rest of the faculty generally ignored; detentions were freely given for those whose state of dress didn’t meet her standards and to anyone who she considered to be fraternising inappropriately. They were all, of course, still having to sit at their correct house tables at meals still and it was only Blaise’s company at the Slytherin table that had kept Draco from going to sit with Harry and Orion anyway.

"Madam Umbridge is already well briefed on my opinions regarding your abilities as parents," the nurse said a little tersely, a pinched expression on her face. Harry and Draco rather got the impression that it was the High Inquisitor that Madam Pomfrey was frustrated with, rather than them though; Umbridge seemed to garner a similar reaction from many of the staff, as though it was taking great effort for them to remain respectful.

Draco frown at that thoughtfully; it seemed unlikely that the nurse would have gone to Umbridge herself to inform the High Inquisitor about their parenting skills, and therefore the blonde quickly came to the conclusion that Umbridge had been the one to ask about them. Which raised the concerning question of who else Umbridge had tried to get to talk against them.

"Though I shall be sure to inform her that Orion is _still_ progressing wonderfully, should she happen to ask,” Madam Pomfrey told Draco kindly, seeing the worried expression that the teenager was wearing. “Enjoy the rest of your weekend."

"Thank you," Draco said sincerely, snapping herself out of her thoughts, though she made a mental note to discuss it with Sirius later; it was possible that he might have heard some of the other professors talking about what was going on. That was assuming she could get Sirius to talk to her at all, she mused, as she and Harry waved farewell to the nurse and headed back off towards their rooms.

"Was it me or did it sound as though Umbridge has been asking around the school about us?" Harry asked, as they turned a corner, walking through the mostly quiet corridors of the castle. It was a surprisingly bright and sunny day late September, and many of the students had taken to the grounds, hoping to enjoy the last of the nice weather before winter truly set in hard, as it tended to do at Hogwarts.

"It wasn't just you," Draco said pensively. "Fairly sure that most of the staff are comfortable with our guardianship of Orion though, and the general impression seems to be that we are doing at least as well as anyone could have expected. It’s more who she might find to talk to outside of this castle that worries me," she added with obvious concern in her voice.

"Draco, love, you can't spend the rest of our lives worrying about what your father is going to say to other people," Harry said seriously, shifting Orion in his arms and reaching out to take Draco's hand in his own, bringing them to a stop. He had no doubt that this was exactly the person that had his wife worried and he was determined not to let the man mess with Draco’s head any more than he had already. "He is going to say horrible things and trying to tear us apart, but we aren't going to let him," he went on. Pressing a kiss to his wife's lips; he ignored the wolf whistles from several passing fourth years and that Orion had a handful of his robes and was sucking on it.

Draco ignored them too, kissing Harry back. "I love you," she muttered against his lips, the words all jumbled. Harry understood though, she was sure of that when she felt him smile and kiss her harder, all thoughts of the threats against their family pushed from her mind. Harry was right; there was very little they could do about Umbridge at the moment, or Lucius for that matter, at least not until one of them played their hand.

"You two do know you are in the middle of the school, right?” an amused voice asked and Draco broke away from their kiss and turned to glare at her best friend, who was leaning against the wall a short distance away. “Anyone could get an eyeful if they happened to walk past," Blaise teased with a smirk on his lips.

"It was just a kiss with my husband, Blaise," she said with a roll of her eyes, far too used to Blaise’s good natured teasing to actually be bothered by it; and she certainly wasn’t ashamed of kissing Harry, no matter who saw. "We were heading back to our rooms, probably going to try and get some homework done,” Draco told him. “Would you like to join us?"

"Yeah, you're more than welcome to come with us," Harry said, nodding his agreement. He had come to actually like spending time with Blaise, and wanted him to feel welcome in their rooms as much as he wanted Hermione and Ron to; not that either of them had come over since before Orion had been unwell.

"As long as it was just homework you had in mind," Blaise said with a smirk, as he pushed off the wall, and moved over to the Potters. “I would have to consider any offers for anything more very carefully before accepting,” he added as he threw his arm over Draco's shoulder and gave Harry a wink; Harry spluttered at the implication, clearly not sure what to say to that.

"I assure you I would not be inviting you to join us if we have more than homework on our minds at the moment," Draco said with a chuckle, shaking her head. "I am not sharing my husband with anyone," she added a little more seriously, with a pointed look at Blaise as they headed off down the corridor.

"Ah, but it could be fun," Blaise said, laughing at the stunned expression on Harry's face; he was having far too much fun toying with the Gryffindor. Draco just tutted at her friend and pushed his arm off her shoulders, cuddling into Harry’s side instead; she might be used to Blaise’s flirtatious ways but Harry still wasn’t entirely.

"Excuse me?" Harry said, blinking at the two Slytherins, as he accepted Draco under one of his arms, the other still holding Orion, who was watching them all with interest as he chewed on a small fistful of Harry’s robes. He knew that this was just Blaise’s way, but he still wasn’t at all sure what to make of their conversation.

"Don't worry, love," Draco whispered conspiratorially, looping her arm around Harry's back, "I will protect you from the big scary Slytherin guy."

"Erm... thanks… I think," Harry said, shaking his head and still looking rather bemused.

It only took them another few minutes to reach the door to his and Draco's rooms, and he let go of Draco to push the door open, before stepping inside. "Hey, Sirius," he said happily, seeing that his godfather was sat at the table reading something. "Look, Orion, Grandad has come out of his room."

Ever since the rather disastrous evening when Sirius had gone to see Remus, Sirius had been avoiding pretty much everyone. Molly had tried to talk to both stubborn men, but Sirius had just shouted at her that this was her fault and that he had been right about him being the wrong person to help Remus. Remus, however, had apparently refused to even open his bedroom door and had been living in there ever since.

Draco had been able to persuade Kreacher to check on Remus and confirm that he was okay, given that they couldn’t get through the wards the werewolf had put on the door, and it seemed that other than the fact that he wasn’t eating, drinking or washing, he was fine. They were all worried about both of them, but while neither Remus or Sirius were willing to either admit that they might have over-reacted, were wrong, or even talk to the other, there really was nothing they could do.

"Sirius," Harry said pleadingly as the man wordlessly got up and headed towards the door to his bedroom. "Sirius!" he called after him, a hand over Orion’s ear to keep from scaring his son.

"What, Harry?!" Sirius shouted angrily as he turned back around and took a couple of steps towards the teenagers. "What do you want from me?” he demanded to know. “I came here, became a professor; I take care of Orion, stand up for you, all at the cost of the only friend I had left and you can't even give me a little space for a few days?"

"It's not like that," Draco insisted, moving passed Harry, who had a very hurt expression on his face; he was cradling Orion close to his chest, their baby whimpering slightly, having been frighten a little bit by the raised voices around him.

"No?" Sirius asked sceptically. "What is it like then, Draco?" he asked, turning his glare to the blonde, his arms crossed defensively over his chest.

Harry sighed; he knew how much Sirius loved Orion, how much he and Draco were family to him, and yet they were all being pushed aside so that he could bury himself in his class preparation and school work, pretending that nothing was wrong; not that they were buying it for a second.

"We are worried about you," Harry insisted honestly. Harry was certain that Sirius was beating himself up over whatever had happened between him and Remus earlier that week, but he was also sure that his godfather would never have intentionally hurt Remus.

"Well don't be," Sirius said, turning around heading through the door to his bedroom, slamming the door behind himself. Orion opened his mouth wide at the sudden noise and began to cry.

"Great, just great," Draco said grumpily, sweeping her son into her arms and rocking him. "Shh, baby, it's okay, Grandad is just being grumpy. It's okay."

"That was... interesting," Blaise said, looking between Harry and Draco as he took a seat on their sofa; neither of them had mentioned anything about whatever it was that had caused Sirius’ mood, and he found himself rather curious. "If I was you I would make sure Umbridge doesn't catch wind of this family tension," he advised.

"Don't worry, we weren't planning on letting that happen," Draco assured him. "But can we just focus on homework for now?" she requested, continuing to rock Orion, who was starting to calm back down again. “The stack of work I have to get done so high that a dragon wouldn’t be able to see over it.”

"Sure," Blaise said, knowing that Draco was just trying to change the subject. He wasn’t sure what had happened to cause such issues with Sirius, and gave Draco a look that clearly told her that he wasn't going to let it go, and that they would be talking about it again later.

-#-

The house elf that had let Severus Snape and Healer Melrose into the manor had looked decidedly unhappy about having to do so; not that Severus particularly cared for the annoying creature's feelings on the matter. He had not been surprised that Lucius had instructed the house elves to deny him entry, but a simple instruction for the elf to confer with Mistress Narcissa had got them through the gates and inside the large manor home.

"Mr Snape and Healer guest will be following," the elf said, leading them up what Severus knew to be the closest staircase. "Mistress Narcissa will see you and then you will be leavings."

 "We will be gone before you master returns," Severus said bluntly, not about to be hurried from the house by one of the Malfoy's servants but equally not wanting to be found there upon Lucius' return. However, he wasn't about to abandon Narcissa to her fate given the role he had played in getting her there; he would likely never forgive himself for having let her talk him into giving her the more dangerous potion.

"Are you quite sure that being here is wise?" Melrose asked, as his grey eyes glanced both ways along the corridor once they had reached the top of the stairs, before hurrying left, in the direction that the Professor and the elf were both heading. The young blond healer owed Severus a favour, else he would never have agreed to come; he was no fool and knew the power that the Malfoys held in their society. "Could I not simply have offered my services to Mr Malfoy directly?" he asked.

"He would not have even paused long enough to give you the time of day," Severus said dismissively. He knew that Melrose was actually quite a talented healer, well trained and, most importantly for his current needs, both loyal and indebted to him; Lucius, however, would have seen nothing more than a half-blood with limited experience. Even the man’s Slytherin cunning would not have been able to see past his prejudices.

"But..." Melrose tried to protest, but Severus turned to glare at him, silencing the healer.

"Lucius respects money," Severus explained, trying to figure out how to word this such that the other man, who had no prior experience with the likes of the Malfoys, would understand.  "Money and blood. Simply because your mother was a muggleborn and your price tag is lower, he will assume your value is less to match."

"So Mrs Malfoy's current healer is the...?" Melrose started to ask, hurrying after the professor, who had already turned back around and was proceeding along the corridor ahead of him.

"The most expensive," Severus finished for him, nodding his head in confirmation. "Nothing but the most expensive for the Malfoy family, of course," he said with a tone of disapproval; his more restricted finances had given him a much finer understanding of the difference between price and value than Lucius ever could or would have.

As it was, the healer that Lucius had hired was truly excellent, and if Severus had been able to trust that the healer was there for Narcissa's health he could have let things be. He knew better though; his last conversation with Lucius had made it plainly clear that the head of the Malfoy family cared naught for anyone as long as he had a pure-blooded male heir at the end of it all. The high-priced healer would most certainly be paid well enough to go to any lengths to ensure the child’s survival, even at the cost of Narcissa’s health, or even her life.

Melrose was still mulling over the Professor's words when they suddenly stopped in front of a large and rather ornately carved oak door. Severus didn't pause; they were short of time as it was, and he had already wasted more time than he had wished, explaining the situation to Melrose; the potions master simply turned the highly polished brass handle and opened the door inwards. Melrose hurried followed him inside.

It was a dimly-lit room, though even with the poor illumination Melrose could see that it was lavishly decorated and that the furnishing were likely inordinately expensive; truthfully it was almost exactly as he had expected a Malfoy bedroom might be, though seeing it with his own two eyes was something else altogether.

"Severus, you should not have come here," a weak and obviously female voice said, drawing the attention of the two men to the woman lying on the vast four-poster bed. "Lucius would not allow anything to happen to me until he gets his son," she said, before breaking into a small coughing fit, which Melrose did not require his medical training to diagnose as unhealthy.

"As your friend, Narcissa, I would rather like to see you live a little beyond that point," Severus said sternly, in clipped tones, raising the light levels in the room with a flick of his wand. "Melrose, I did not bring you here to admire the decor," he snapped a little impatiently, knowing that their time was limited.

"Right; apologies," Melrose said quickly, moving past the Professor and heading around to the far side of the bed. "Mrs Malfoy, I am Healer Melrose,” he said, introducing himself almost automatically; it was something that had been drummed into him during his training and gave him a chance to take in the woman’s pale complexion and frail state. “Professor Snape has informed me all about the situation, but I would like to cast a few tests of my own, just to assess your current health."

"Do as you must," Narcissa said with a sigh, her hand resting on her now rather obvious six-month pregnancy belly, feeling her son kick at her hand. "Put Severus' mind at ease, because else I am worried he might worry himself into worse health than mine," she added, sending herself into another coughing fit.

"I think," Melrose said with a kind smile, taking a seat on the edge of Narcissa's bed and pulling out his wand, "that I will judge the state of your health for myself."

-#-

Blaise, Draco and Harry had actually made good progress with their homework, though they were still a long way from done, by the time that Hermione and Ron showed up. Harry was, of course, delighted to see them; he had meant it when he had told Ron that he hoped he would come by. Although he was rather surprised to see that they had brought Luna with them.

“I hope you don’t mind me being here,” Luna had said in a soft voice, with a vague expression on her face, as she stood just inside the door, peering around the room curiously. “I was in the library with Hermione when they decided to come see you, and I was rather curious to meet Orion.”

“No, sure, it’s fine,” Harry said, ushering her into the room. He didn’t really know the girl well, but Ron had told him all about how she and Hermione had been spending a lot time studying together, and if Hermione liked and trusted her, then Harry was certain he could too.

“Hey, little man,” Hermione said, picking Orion up from where he was lying on the floor, trying to eat his own feet. “I wouldn’t eat your own toes,” she told him, wiggling his foot in her hand, before taking him over for Luna to meet.

The slightly odd girl moved towards Orion with a smile on her face, and Harry had to take Draco’s hand in his own to keep his wife from getting up and snatching their son back; he understood that she was just being protective of him, but they could trust Hermione with him, and Luna clearly meant him no harm. Orion seemed to agree and actually took quite a shine to Luna right away, babbling away from his position in Hermione’s arms.

“He’s a very smart little boy,” Luna said, holding out her hand and letting Orion play with her fingers as she looked passed Hermione to smile at Harry. “You will have to watch him carefully,” she warned them calmly.

“Of course, he isn’t even four months old, we are always watching him,” Draco told her a little indignantly. She didn’t like that this girl was giving her advice on how to take care of her own son; it was hardly needed, they were raising Orion perfectly fine themselves.

“Oh, I know, I meant when he is older,” Luna said, still smiling, not looking at all bothered by Draco’s tone, as she moved over to sit cross-legged on the floor next to one of the piles of books they had been studying from earlier.  “He is likely to inherit his father’s impulsive nature.”

“I’m not impulsive,” Harry said quickly in his own defence, shuffling up enough on the sofa to let Hermione sit down next to him, still holding Orion, who was playing with her hair. “Okay, I might be a little impulsive,” he conceded when he took in the disbelieving and, in the case of Ron, Luna and Blaise rather amused, expressions of his friends around him.

“If you teach Orion your reckless ways, I will be most displeased,” Draco told him with a scowl. She loved Harry for who he was and though her husband putting himself in harm’s way was annoying and worrying, she knew she couldn’t allow her precious little boy to do the same.

-#-

Severus had returned to Hogwarts a few hours earlier with a great deal on his mind; he had been half tempted to have Melrose help him get Narcissa out of the Manor, but there was no doubt that he would be the first person that Lucius would suspect. He really didn’t need the complications of trying to keep Lucius from his wife and unborn heir.

He sighed deeply, and sipped from his glass. Firewhiskey was not his usual preference, but given the stresses of the day, he felt it called for it. They had managed to leave Malfoy Manor before Lucius’ arrival, but only just, and that was thanks to the house elf, which Lucius had summoned to prepare things for upon his return.

Melrose had stayed with him for a short while after, explaining the results he had found. He was certainly concerned. Narcissa’s blood pressure was low, and because she hadn’t been able to eat properly for months, she was malnourished; the baby seemed healthy but there were serious worries that Narcissa would be unable to survive the birth, if she even survived that long.

Severus wouldn’t allow her to die, and so he listened carefully to the recommended potions that Melrose told him to make, and thanked the man when he wrote a list of several books that would help explain some of the more complex issues at work. He knew that somehow he would have to get back into Malfoy Manor if he was to give her the potions she needed. That would not be easy; but he was determined to find a way.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do take a moment to leave me a comment (even if it is just to shout at me for having taken so long to get your this update). And/or please feel free to join me on facebook (link in my profile)


	44. Intervention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I actually forgot that I had this chapter written and edited, but not published until I went to save the next chapter to the folder. So apologies on the delay with the update. I am actually working on an original novel quite a bit at the moment, but I am still making progress with this story, and really, truly intend to get to grips with Erotes soon. (I might even start reading it through later this evening.)  
> I do have plans for a purely smutty Harry/Avengers crossover (largely inspired by several conversations I have had with my co-author, StrawberryGirl87, regarding her new story, Afflictions of War). But that I will be writing as inspiration strikes and liking not posting it until it is complete (I am predicting it will only be 6 or 7 chapters in total)  
> I do have another chapter of this to update, so I will probably update that in a week or two's time depending on my progress with other things.
> 
> Thank you to AchillesTheGeek, who was, as always, a great help in making sure this chapter was up to scratch.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it.

_ Previously: _

_Severus wouldn’t allow her to die, and so he listened carefully to the recommended potions that Melrose told him to make, and thanked the man when he wrote a list of several books that would help explain some of the more complex issues at work. He knew that he would have to find a way to get back into Malfoy Manor if he was to give her the potions she needed, but he was determined to find a way._

-#-

By the end of their third full week back at school, most of the students were getting back into the swing of being at school,; though many students were finding that it was a bit difficult to keep on top of all their work. The sixth years, in particular, had definitely noticed the increase in difficulty, now that they were studying for their N.E.W.T.s rather than for their O.W.L.s. Some of them had embraced it, such as Hermione, Blaise, and Draco, in particular, were enjoying the challenge; surprisingly, even Neville was, to some extent, at least with certain subjects.

However, most of the sixth years were less thrilled. To help with this, Hermione had cajoled the sixth year Gryffindor boys into having a study night in the boys’ dormitory. While she had invited the girls as well, they had quickly turned her down, and so the meeting had been moved from its original location in the common room; it being a Friday evening, there were too many distractions there anyway.

Draco had agreed to take care of Orion for the evening, not wanting her husband to be able to use their almost four-month-old son as an excuse not to study; Harry was far too good at procrastination for her liking and besides, she thought that it would do Harry good to spend the evening with his friends and housemates. Harry had tried to protest, not wanting to leave Draco there alone, but Blaise had shown up and promised to keep Draco company.

“You get a night away from the wife and kid, and you use it to submit yourself to one of Hermione’s torture sessions… I mean study sessions?” Seamus asked with a teasing grin on his face. Harry rolled his eyes, and was about to answer when Hermione beat him to it.

“Maybe a little torture might be what it actually takes to get you to do some of your homework on time, Seamus, Finnegan,” Hermione said pointedly, as she took a seat next to Ron, on his bed and opened a book in her lap, the other boys already having arranged themselves on Dean and Seamus’ beds.

“Promises, promises,” Seamus replied with a laugh, though he actually dreaded to think about the suffering Hermione might really be able to inflict if she actually put her mind to it.

“Maybe that’s how Hermione lured Luna in,” Dean suggested in a deliberately loud whisper to Harry, who was sitting next to him, making Seamus laugh. The Irishman only laughed harder still at the surprised and slightly nauseated look that Harry turned and gave Dean in response; though he tried to calm himself a little when he spotted the annoyed frown that Hermione was wearing. He really didn’t want to find out what torture methods she might have actually researched.

“Well Luna is pretty weird,” Ron said, apparently giving the matter some serious thought, “I guess it wouldn’t be all that surprising if she was into _that_ kind of stuff.” Though, as his gaze drifted to Hermione, he scrunched up his face a little, apparently not wanting to think of his friend and Luna doing such things.

“I like Luna,” Harry said a little defensively. She was definitely rather quirky, but she made no apologies for being herself, and he certainly didn’t want to hear his housemates making fun of her.

“Yeah, she is kind of hot,” Seamus said, nodding his head in agreement, before breaking into a grin and turning to Harry. “And we all know about your thing for blondes now, Harry.”

“I think Draco would have something to say about that,” Neville pointed out quickly, looking rather amused.

“Honestly,” Hermione tutted, feeling quite frustrated with the lot of them, and wondering how they had got on to discussing Luna and Draco. “We are supposed to be helping you five get back up to date with your homework,” she reminded them. She was all for a little joking around, but there was a time and place for it, and at the moment, all of them had some serious catching up to do; and she, for one, didn’t fancy spending the whole weekend with them coming to her begging for help very five minutes.

“Don’t worry, Hermione,” Seamus told her with a falsely sympathetic expression, “Luna only has eyes for you; she is all yours.”

“We are friends,” Hermione insisted, somewhat huffily; she was keen to change the subject before the boys started asking her questions that she simply wasn’t ready to answer yet. “Now,” she went on stubbornly, handing the book on her lap over to Ron. “Neville, could you help Seamus and Dean with the Herbology questions, while I get Harry and Ron started on their Charms essays.”

“Sure, though I am definitely going to need your help with Transfiguration,” he told her, giving her an apologetic smile. He really tried so hard to manage it by himself, but he would always end up getting muddled and confused; Hermione could usually straighten it all out in his head again though.

“Of course, I will look at that with you once the others have got started,” she promised him. “Okay, you lot, hop to,” she commanded when none of them went to move; the boys all groaned at that, but moved to get the relevant books, quills and parchment regardless. They really did appreciate her help.

-#-

Draco flopped down onto the sofa next to Blaise, who was looking at her with mild amusement. Orion had not wanted to go to sleep all evening, or even be put down to play with his toys on the floor. The youngest Potter had been crying and whining in a way that Draco knew meant he was seriously tired, but the little boy had fought against sleep stubbornly, as he was rocked in his mother’s arms.

“He’s finally asleep then?” Blaise asked, more to remind Draco that he was there than anything else; Draco’s empty arms and the lack of crying answered his question for him, but it looked like Draco might actually fall asleep too.

“For now,” Draco confirmed, letting her eyes drift closed; she was so tired and was very relieved that it was Friday at last and she didn’t have to get up for classes in the morning. “It took him so long to fall asleep though, he will probably be awake in an hour or so hungry and, in all likelihood, needing to be changed.” She loved her little boy but he was hard work; she liked to blame it on him being a Potter but knew truthfully it was simply because he was a baby.

“Harry might well have run away from Hermione’s study group by then,” Blaise pointed out, given how reluctant Harry had been to go in the first place, and how intense Hermione could be when it came to anything academic.  “You can probably let him deal with Orion.”

“I am honestly not sure which I would prefer,” Draco said forcing her eyes open and turning her head to look at Blaise, “Harry actually being completely up to date with all his homework or some help with Orion.”

“Isn’t Professor Black usually around to help?” Blaise questioned, realising that it was rather odd that the Defence Professor wasn’t there; though it was a Friday night so he supposed that Sirius might have had other commitments. However, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was related to the angry outburst he had witnessed at the weekend; he had been meaning to ask Draco about it but hadn’t gotten around to it.

Draco hummed, a frown on her face. “He went down to Hogsmeade, something about needing a drink and some time alone to think,” she told him, “only he has had most of the week alone to think; he hasn’t barely spoken to any of us. He actually called Molly over to take care of Orion during our potions class yesterday.”

“Well we all need a little space sometimes, and I hardly blame him for wanting to go get a drink at the end of a long week,” Blaise said honestly, wanting to try and be reasonable. “And it isn’t that big of a deal, is it? I mean, you trust her with Orion, don’t you?” he asked.

“I do,” Draco agreed, “I know he is safe with her, but it was such short notice that she had to take him home with her, to The Burrow, because she already had Bill and Fleur over for dinner,” she explained.

“Ah, I see,” Blaise said, nodding his head. “And you are worried about having Orion leaving the castle without you or Harry, worried that you will lose him somehow. You do realise that the Weasleys probably have excellent wards on their house, don’t you?” Blaise asked him, and Draco nodded; even with their poor finances, he was sure that the wards on their home were not something that the Weasleys would have skimped on. “And it isn’t as though anyone knew he was there,” Blaise pointed out.

“I know,” Draco said with a sigh. “And Bill and Fleur were apparently delighted to see him; Harry and I listened to nearly twenty minutes of Molly telling us how she was sure the two of them would be married with children of their own before we all knew it. But, anyway, I think I am just frustrated with Sirius; Harry and I both are.”

“What is going on with him?” Blaise asked, turning so that he was sitting facing more towards Draco. “Apparently he has been being really strict in his classes the last couple of weeks, much more so he usually is, handing out detentions.”

“He and Remus had some kind of disagreement,” Draco explained. “And before you even think about asking, we are not exactly sure what it was about, but they are both refusing to talk to each other; or anyone else even, most of the time.”

“I am sure they will work it out soon,” Blaise said, trying to be reassuring. “Haven’t they been best friends since they were at Hogwarts?” he asked, thinking that if their friendship had lasted that long, then they had probably been through worse and come out of it okay.

“Yes, they have,” Draco confirmed, looking both worried and sceptical. She had come to greatly care about Sirius and she didn’t like seeing him this upset; she was even concerned about Remus to some extent, though the two of them still weren’t really close. “But they were both Gryffindors here,” Draco pointed out, “and you know how hot headed they can be.”

“True,” Blaise said, giving Draco a wry smile before he sighed, resting back against the sofa. He had very little interest in the squabbles between the two men, but he was definitely concerned about the impact it would have on Draco and Harry, and even Orion.

“Can we talk about you for a bit?” Draco requested, really not wanting to think about Sirius for a while, just wanting to stop thinking for a bit.

“With pleasure,” Blaise said happily, sitting up full and grinning at his friend; talking about himself was one of his favourite hobbies, after all.

-#-

Severus gave an annoyed huff and slammed another book shut, dropping it onto the top of the discarded tomes by the side of his desk. He had spent the majority of his evenings since visiting Narcissa at the weekend, studying, trying to find something else that might help her. He would brew the potion that Melrose had recommended tomorrow, as it would be Saturday; the potion would be tricky and require most of a full day, something he hadn’t been able to spare during the week, due to his position as a Professor.

However, he was still determined to find something more to help his friend. Melrose’s recommendation was something of a long shot, what would only ease her symptoms rather than act as a cure. Of course it was highly preferable over doing nothing, but Severus was determined to find something else.

Summoning yet another book from another pile, many of which he had taken from the restricted section of the library, and opened it in front of him, scanning the contents pages at the front to work out if the book was likely to be any use after all. There was a section on the relationship between physical and magical health, not exactly what he was looking for but perhaps there might be something of use.

Pouring himself a large glass of mead, he took a large swig before turning to the relevant section and starting to read.

-#-

 

Ron was ordering the Gryffindor Quidditch team up into the air by the time Harry arrived. He had missed most of their practices so far, not that Ron minded particularly given he was mostly just glad that Harry hadn’t stopped playing at all, but Harry really wanted to make an effort to attend when he could.

“Hey, mate,” Ron greeted as he mounted his own broom, having spotted Harry heading out onto the pitch. “Nice of you to join us. It’s almost as though you think your wife, son and education are more important than this team,” he added with a grin.

Harry chuckled at that, climbing onto his own broom. “Something like that,” he agreed, as he and Ron rose up into the air, until they were at a good height to watch the rest of the team as they threw the Quaffle to each other as a warm-up.

“You letting the snitch out today, or going to help me whip this lot into shape?” Ron asked, secretly hoping for the latter. He loved his position as captain, but he knew he would feel a lot better about Gryffindor’s chances if the team had been training with Harry’s help as well as him.

“I think I’ll help out, if that’s alright with you,” Harry said with a grin, not wanting to miss out of some quality time with Ron and the rest of the team, figuring that he could practice catching the snitch anytime, when the rest of the team weren’t out on the pitch.

“Definitely,” Ron told him with a grin, as the two of them headed over to the others, Harry swooping in and snatching the Quaffle before helping Ron split them into two groups.

-#-

Lucius scowled at familiar handwriting in which his name had been written. The small parcel was plainly wrapped, but had a note attached, held in place by a simple black ribbon. It was Sunday evening; Lucius had just seen off Narcissa’s healer, who had told him that the situation was unchanged, and settled down for a little supper, having had a large roast earlier in the day. He certainly hadn’t been expecting any deliveries or post, least of all from Severus.

After taking another sip of the delicate wine he has requested for his evening meal, Lucius untied the bow and removed the letter; it was more of a note really, a folded piece of parchment.

_‘Lucius,_

_Enclosed is a potion which will ease Narcissa’s suffering and aid her health. I have enclosed the details of the brew should you wish to verify that it will cause no harm; however, I hope you still trust me enough to know I would never harm Narcissa or the child she carries._

_Severus’_

Opening the parcel with care, there were several pages written in Severus’ hand, detailing potion brewing instructions, and beneath them was a singular phial. It was small and Lucius picked it up, holding the neck of the small bottle between two fingers as he held it up to view it properly, the blue liquid inside seemingly thick enough to keep light from penetrating it.

He would discuss the potion with Narcissa’s healer just to be sure, he decided, though he was certain that it would be cleared as entirely suitable. Severus was a brilliant potions master after all, and even the rift in their friendship was not likely to be reason enough for the Professor to deceive him when it came to potions; that subject was something Severus took far too seriously to lie about.

-#-

Two days later, Molly was feeling determined. Remus and Sirius were all but family now and she did not tolerate her family treating each other badly; she understood that arguments and disagreements were to be expected but it had been two full weeks since the two of them had had dinner together and ended up not talking. It was the full moon in just two days and she was determined to have the two of them talking by then.

Calling out to Arthur to let him know where she was off to, the Weasley matriarch stepped into the floo to go to Grimmauld Place. However, it quickly became clear that that was not going to work, that someone, presumably Remus, had blocked the floo at the London residence. This, of course, did nothing to ease her worry; and so, she headed directly for the Potters’ quarters in Hogwarts instead.

“Sirius,” she said as she stepped out of the fireplace, seeing the man in question lying on the floor encouraging Orion to push himself up. “Remus appears to have blocked the floo,” she told him, as Sirius got to his feet, picking Orion up into his arms.

“Then we get in the old fashioned way,” Sirius told her firmly. He was definitely worried about his friend, about why Remus would have actually blocked the floo. “I need to take Orion to Harry and Draco first though; I don’t want to take him with us when we don’t know what’s going on.”

“They are in potions this evening?” Molly asked, knowing that that was where Harry and Draco usually were on a Tuesday evening.

“Yeah,” Sirius told her, as he grabbed a blanket, wrapping it around Orion, and threw the travel bag, containing supplies for the little boy, over his shoulder. He moved quickly, hurrying out the door with Molly on his heels.

-#-

“Mr Potter, I strongly suggest you pay close attention to your own cauldron,” Snape said sternly, as Harry peered over into Draco’s, attempting to see if what she had brewed looked anything like the slightly green mixture that he had created.

“Yes, sir,” he responded quickly turning back to his own potion and getting ready to add the boomslang skin, which should be needed in about two minutes, if he wasn’t mistaken; Draco’s potion definitely looked a bit thinner than his did, but the colour looked right, so he was doing a darn sight better than he usually did.

Harry was just in the process or re-weighing the boomslang skin, having made sure that it was exactly what the instructions detailed, when the door to the potions room swung open. He, Draco and Snape all turned to look, seeing Sirius hurrying in, holding Orion, with Molly Weasley just behind him.

“What happened?” Harry demanded to know, his potion forgotten as he hurried towards his godfather. He could make the potion again, and it paled in significance compared to anything that could have Sirius barging into their potions lesson looking so worried.

“Is Orion okay?” Draco asked urgently, her potion forgotten in an instant too, reaching Sirius before Harry even, and snatching her son into her arms, checking him for any sign of what might be wrong, but he seemed fine.

“It’s Remus, he’s blocked the floo to Grimmauld Place,” Sirius told them quickly, putting the travel bag of Orion’s things onto one of the empty desks. “We need to go check on him but I didn’t think taking Orion with us for that would be a good idea.”

“I would stay with him, but I don’t think it is a good idea that Sirius goes alone given how things have been,” Molly said, smiling apologetically. She knew how hard the two of them were working to keep on top of their studies and that Severus was giving up his own time to teach them, so she felt bad for interrupting their time, but there was a chance that something serious had happened with Remus.

“Back to your potions,” Snape snapped impatiently, stepping between the group and lifting Orion from Draco’s arms into his own, stunning the other occupants of the room, who were now staring at him as though he had completely lost his mind. “Before you potions are ruined and we have to start this lesson again,” he added sternly.

This seemed to break the trance and the two teenagers quickly moved back to their desks and promptly started adding the boomslang skin and stirring clockwise three times, and anti-clockwise twice; though he was aware of the glances that Harry and Draco both kept giving him, presumably checking that their son was safe. Severus resisted the urge to scowl at that; he was fairly sure that if he could brew some of the most delicate potions in the world, using seriously volatile ingredients, then he could take care of Orion Potter for approximately quarter of an hour.

“I will watch him until they have completed their potions, they should only need another fourteen minutes,” Snape said, turning back to Molly and Sirius, once he was sure that Harry and Draco were handling their potions. “Go, ensure that Lupin hasn’t done something truly foolish,” he insisted.

“Thank you, Severus,” Molly said sincerely, as Sirius gave a curt nod and headed for the door.

“Attention on your cauldrons,” he snapped impatiently upon turning and realising that both Harry and Draco were watching him as opposed to their potions. He smirked a little as both of them quickly turned back to face the front, getting ready for the next step in the instructions, and made his way back to his desk with Orion in his arms.

Harry was not at all sure that Snape would actually be okay having to take care of Orion even for fifteen minutes, no matter how certain the potions master had sounded. He felt a bit guilty even, given that Snape was already teaching them in his free time; he didn’t think the man would appreciate becoming a babysitting service. “Are you sure that…?” he started to ask.

“Potion, Mr Potter,” Snape reminded him sternly, glancing down when Orion giggled and started to pull on his robes.

“Yes, sir,” Harry agreed, glad for an excuse to look down into his cauldron so that the professor wouldn’t see the amused smile on his face, realising that in fact the potions master didn’t mind having to spend a few minutes with Orion after all.

-#-

Remus stared at his half-eaten plate of food and tried to remind himself that half a plate was the best he had managed in a couple of weeks; he had managed occasional bites of food but not as much as he had had today. He actually thought he might have been able to eat more, if his stomach hadn’t been protesting to the sudden increase in intake.

Pushing the dish into the middle of the table and casting a preservation spell, he decided that he would clean up later. His stomach was churned a little and the comparatively big meal was making him a little drowsy. He got to his feet and headed up the stairs from the kitchen into the main hallway, pausing at the bottom of the stairs; he was half tempted to just go back to bed, but he knew if he did that then he might stay up there another couple of days, so instead he headed for the front room.

He had literally just sat down on the sofa when he felt someone pressing against the house wards. He was tired, but that didn’t make him much slower in drawing his wand, and jumping back to his feet. Heading cautiously back into the hall, he sighed and lowered his wand at the sight of Sirius and Molly standing there, looking worried.

“We couldn’t get through the floo,” Sirius explained a little angrily, hurrying forward and pulling Remus into a hug, which quickly became awkward, when Remus didn’t hug him back properly and Sirius didn’t let go.

“You had us worried,” Molly told him firmly, but kindly.

Remus had known that he wanted a little more time alone, having finally ventured out of his room, so he had blocked the floo; he had also put up wards, but he hadn’t actually wanted to keep Sirius from his own house, so it would not have taken much for his friend to get through them.

“I didn’t mean to,” he said with a sigh, turning around and heading back towards the kitchen. If they were going to talk then he had least wanted a decent cup of tea at the same time; he actually wanted a bottle of something stronger, but knew that neither of the other two were likely to take that suggestion well.

“You blocked the floo, after having spent several weeks not talking to us or eating, what were we supposed to think?” Sirius demanded to know, following after his friend and all but storming down the steps into the kitchen.

“It was two weeks,” Remus told Sirius firmly, not appreciating his friend’s flare for the dramatic. “And how about that I still wanted to be alone,” he suggested with a shrug. He didn’t know what he had been thinking actually; he was even questioning if on some level he had known that the blocked floo would ensure that Sirius came. He liked the Weasleys just fine and they obviously cared about him, but he didn’t truly know them well, not like he did with Sirius anyway. “And not talking to you?” he asked incredulously, his own anger rising, as he reached the bottom of the stairs and turned to face his friend. “You haven’t even tried to talk to me,” he pointed out.

“Well I was fucking pissed,” Sirius told him bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at his one remaining best friend. “And not the good kind, like you’ve been for the past two weeks apparently.”

“I’m sober right now, you arse,” Remus snarled, waving his wand absent-mindedly so that the kettle would fill itself and set itself to boil. “I haven’t touched a drop in days.”

“No, just drowning yourself in self-pity instead?” Sirius said bitterly, shoving past his friend to go take a seat grumpily at the kitchen table.

Remus sighed, closing his eyes and resisting the urge to storm up the stairs and hide in his room again, to shut the world out and just hope it all went away. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he admitted softly, wrapping his arms around himself.

“My guess would be that you’re depressed,” Molly said kindly, her hand resting on his shoulder. Remus forced himself to open his eyes again and look at her. “Now let’s get some tea in you and see if we can’t talk about this reasonably,” she suggested, with far too much enthusiasm for his liking, or Sirius’ it seemed, if the expression on his face was anything to go by.

Remus, however, allowed himself to be steered in the direction of the table, taking a seat not far from Sirius as Molly went to sort the tea. He knew this was probably going to be a horrible and difficult conversation but he was glad that Sirius was there; he had missed his friend.

-#-

“A passable brew, Mr Potter, though barely,” Snape said, looking into Harry’s cauldron. It was a considerable improvement on the disasters the boy had been creating just a few weeks earlier, but it would have would have barely got an acceptable in a N.E.W.T. examination.

“We were a little distracted part way through,” Harry pointed out, with a nod of his head towards Orion, who was now back in Draco’s arms, giggling as Draco very gently nibbled on the little boy’s fingers playfully. “I’m really trying,” he insisted, thinking of all the times that he had read the instructions over before they had even come to the lesson, “sir,” he added quickly, as the professor’s eyes narrowed at him.

“I am aware,” Snape said stiffly. He could reluctantly admit that Harry was making a significant effort to improve, and that alone was giving him the strength to continue with their lessons; that and the fact that Draco’s potions were of a very high standard. He expected it of the blonde of course, but he didn’t want to see such a genuine talent go to waste.

“Are we making this again on Thursday?” Harry asked, hoping that they were because otherwise he was going to have to spend the following evening reading up on yet another potion. He was aware that he was taking fewer classes than most of those in his year, but Snape seemed to have taken these private lessons as a challenge and was pushing them both. Harry was fairly sure that the potions master was determined to get them both Outstandings in potions by the time he was done with them; he doubted he would ever be able to reach such a standard, but he would let Draco and Snape teach him what they could.

“Given Draco does not require further practice on this particular potion, you shall be brewing it again under your wife’s supervision,” Snape informed them with a smirk, one which only grew when Harry groaned quietly. “Draco will take notes. You will then be expected to review these fully after the lesson and write an essay explaining any mistakes you made and their significance.”

“Yes, sir,” Harry said morosely, as Snape headed back to his desk.

“It’s okay, Harry,” Draco said with a grin, handing over Orion to him, thinking he really looked like he could use some baby cuddles after the professor’s decision, “perhaps you won’t make any mistakes at all, then there won’t be anything much to write about.”

“That, my love, might be wishful thinking,” Harry told her, as they headed for the door; Draco chuckled as she picked up the travel bag on the way past.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please take a moment to leave me a comment. And/or feel free to join me on facebook (link in my profile)


	45. Full Moon and Fraternisation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sincerest apologies for the massive delay in posting this, I had simply forgotten I had actually finished this chapter a little while ago, because I got distracted trying to get my head sorted to carry on with Erotes. Hope you enjoy this update, it might be a little while before there is another though, sorry, but I shall see what I can do.

_ Previously: _

_“Given Draco does not require further practice on this particular potion, you shall be brewing it again under your wife’s supervision,” Snape informed them with a smirk, one which only grew when Harry groaned quietly. “Draco will take notes. You will then be expected to review these fully after the lesson and write an essay explaining any mistakes you made and their significance.”_

_“Yes, sir,” Harry said morosely, as Snape headed back to his desk._

_“It’s okay, Harry,” Draco said with a grin, handing over Orion to him, thinking he really looked like he could use some baby cuddles after the professor’s decision, “perhaps you won’t make any mistakes at all, then there won’t be anything much to write about.”_

_“That, my love, might be wishful thinking,” Harry told her, as they headed for the door; Draco chuckled as she picked up the travel bag on the way past._

-#-

 “You came,” Remus said, not looking up from the cup of tea he was cradling in his hands. It was the day of the full moon and he was sat in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, trying to convince himself that he really didn’t need to find and open the bottle of brandy he knew was lurking in the bottom of the larder.

“I said I would,” Sirius replied a little bluntly, as he took a seat opposite his friend. Things were still a little tense between them but after their talk two days earlier, when Molly and Sirius had come to check on Remus, they were at least on speaking terms again. “I would never leave you to face the full moon alone,” Sirius told him sincerely.

“I would hardly blame you for not wanting to be around me at the moment,” Remus said morosely, still not looking up from his almost cold beverage. He had made himself tea thinking that he needed to ingest something before the full moon hit, but had been unable to stomach even that.

“Well it’s not like I will have to listen to you being a grumpy sod while you’re transformed,” Sirius pointed out teasingly, a small smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.

Remus gave Sirius a rather forced smile in return, knowing his friend was just trying to lighten the mood and make things easier between them. He sipped at his tea, but regretted it pretty quickly, pulling a face as he discarded the now stone-cold beverage off to one side.

“It’s not like you will have to listen to my terrible attempts at jokes while I am Padfoot either,” Sirius added, seeing how strained Remus’ expression was. His presence on the full moon was supposed to help his friend and he didn’t like knowing that it was all so difficult for Remus.

He didn’t exactly think that he had been wrong when he had said that Remus was avoiding the world in an attempt to avoid the pain and hurt he expected to suffer, but he knew he could have worded it better, and been more supportive. Sirius had apologised but Remus seemed more upset with himself now than with his friend, and Sirius had no idea how to help him with that.

“I’ve grown rather fond of your terrible jokes, Sirius,” Remus said after a few seconds, looking up and meeting Sirius’ eye for the first time since his arrival, the warm sincerity of it catching Sirius off guard. Remus laughed at his shocked expression; it was only a quick short laugh, but it was genuine. “Do you think that I could have put up with you and James for so long if I didn’t find you a little bit amusing at least some of the time?” he asked teasingly.

“Ha,” Sirius barked out, “I suppose that’s probably true.” He was surprised how much better just seeing a little bit of his old, happier friend shining through made him feel. Remus was always more serious than he and James had been, but Remus had still given as good as he got; this morose and sad man was like a shadow of his friend.

“We should probably go and check the room and get all the wards up and ready,” Remus suggested, forcing himself to his feet. They still had time before the transformation would hit him, but this was the first one he would be spending at Grimmauld Place, so he wanted to be quite certain that he wasn’t going to be able to break out of the large master bedroom.

Remus had been worried about the suggestion that they ward themselves in there, knowing that the room would be destroyed, but Sirius had actually been quite gleeful at the prospect of the complete destruction of his parents’ former bedroom. Soon after moving back into Grimmauld Place, after the previous full moon, Remus had gone through it and removed anything of value, made of silver or that could be particularly dangerous, but had left the rest as it was.

“You worry too much,” Sirius said, though he got to his feet too and followed after his friend, as Remus headed up the stairs.

“I know you are looking forward to destroying the master bedroom, but it would probably be best we didn’t make a mess of the rest of the house,” Remus pointed out, looking over his shoulder as he reached the hallway and continued on up towards the first floor.

“Yeah, that’s true; I can imagine what Draco would have to say if Moony got into her and Harry’s room,” Sirius said with a wince.

“Not to mention all that effort you went to, to make this place liveable,” Remus pointed out. “It would be a shame to waste it.” The whole house was still in need of a great deal of work, even with everything that Sirius had done before Harry and Draco moved in with him, but it was liveable at the moment, fairly pleasantly so. And for the moment, Remus wasn’t feeling up to doing much redecorating or repair works, and Sirius simply didn’t have the time for it.

 “That’s true,” Sirius agreed, as they reached the top floor and headed for master bedroom, “maybe adding a few extra wards wouldn’t be a terrible idea.”

-#-

“That was a really long hour and a half,” Harry grumbled putting an arm over Draco’s shoulders and cuddling his wife into his side. They had just escaped from Snape’s potions classroom, Harry having spent the evening re-brewing the potion they had been making on Tuesday. As promised this had been done under the watchful eyes of his wife, who had taken very detailed notes, notes that the professor had complimented more than Harry’s potion.

“You only made three significant mistakes, and a couple of small ones that wouldn’t have mattered greatly anyway. It was an improvement on your previous attempt,” Draco pointed out. Admittedly Harry still had a great deal to learn if he was going to get the Exceeds Expectations grade he needed but he was making progress.

“I should hope it was an improvement, I spent an hour trying to learn it off by heart last night,” Harry told her. He honestly didn’t know how he kept making mistakes when he was supposed to literally just do what it said in the book.

“You probably just got nervous with me watching you so closely,” Draco suggested. She knew that Harry was perfectly capable of getting it right, but more than once during the lesson Harry had looked to her for approval rather than focusing on what he was supposed to be doing.

“And you think I will be less nervous with some examiner peering over my shoulder the whole time?” Harry asked sceptically, thinking that if anything that was likely to make him even more anxious and therefore careless.

“Well I should hope that you won’t be in love with that examiner and therefore you won’t be trying so hard to impress them,” Draco said looking smug, and enjoying the blush that coloured her husband’s cheeks. She had suspected that he had been trying to prove himself to her; his reaction was a nice confirmation of that. “You need to stop trying so hard,” she told him affectionately, “you just need to read each step carefully before you act; and try to trust yourself a bit more.”

“I trust that I am more likely to make potions explode than do what they are supposed to,” Harry said self-deprecatingly, a pout on his face as he released his wife from his side, pushed open the door  to their rooms and lead the way inside.

“I think that even Professor Snape would have been impressed if you had managed to cause anexplosion with the ingredients you were using today,” Draco told him with amusement, closing the door behind herself.

Harry had already headed straight for the sofa and had taken a seat next to Molly Weasley by the time that Draco turned back around. A soft smile graced Draco’s lips as she watched Harry gently brush a lock of hair away from Orion’s face. Their son was fast asleep in Molly’s arms and it was a beautiful sight, but it was the expression on Harry’s face that tugged at Draco’s heart.

“Did the lesson go okay?” Molly asked after a few moments of silence.

“It was fine, much as expected,” Harry told her. “I have an essay to write up about what I did wrong with the potion I was making today, but that can wait until the weekend.” He had just finished brewing the potion and didn’t particularly feel like going over it all again at the moment.

“You’ll forget what it was that you did wrong by then,” Draco chastised lightly, moving over to the sofa and taking Orion gently into her arms so that she could go put him down in his cot while he was sleeping.

“Ah but I have your excellent notes to guide me, love,” Harry pointed out, leaning over the back of the sofa to watch his wife as she took Orion into their room, before turning back to Molly. “Has he been asleep long?”

“Only ten, fifteen minutes or so,” Molly told him, “and I changed and fed him just before he nodded off so that should hopefully give you a little while before he wakes up again.”

“Thank you,” Harry said earnestly. “Are you staying here tonight? I mean, you are very welcome to stay, we like having you here, but I understand if you want to get back home…” he rambled.

Molly smiled at him fondly, placing her hand gently on his arm. “I came here this evening with the intention of staying here; I think it is for the best while Sirius is away. Arthur knows not to expect me home tonight,” she assured him.

“Oh, Arthur is welcome here too,” Harry pointed out. He was very grateful for everything Molly had done for them, for what she was still doing for them, and he certainly didn’t want to cause problems between her and her husband.

“Oh, don’t you worry about that, dear,” Molly told him kindly. “Arthur has to be up early for work in the morning and so will already be fast asleep, he won’t even miss me,” she told him with a light chuckle. “It’s only for the full moon,” she pointed out, “and Arthur loves you and your family as much as I do, so he doesn’t mind at all.”

“Thanks,” Harry said again, knowing that it fell short of the warmth and affection he felt for the Weasleys. “Do you think they are okay? Sirius and Remus I mean,” he asked; he knew that the two of them had spoken on Tuesday, and that Sirius’ mood had improved since then, but he was still worried about his godfather.

“Oh I am quite certain they will be just fine,” Molly said happily; she honestly thought that the familiarity of the full moon together might do the two men some good, remind them of all the reasons they were the best of friends. “Now,” she said clapping her hands together and smiling at Harry, determined to change the subject and not let him dwell on the matter, “why don’t you get those notes of Draco’s out and let’s see if we can’t get most of that essay written tonight.”

Harry groaned, flopping back onto the sofa, his arms limply at his sides and a pout on his face. He heard Molly chuckle at him and turned to look at her, his eyes pleading with her not to make him do the essay now.

“I am no expert in potions,” she told him, not going to be swayed by a simple look, “but I have an Exceeds Expectations at N.E.W.T. level, so I am sure we can help you write something that could even impress Severus Snape.” She had enough experience, both from her own life and that of her children, to know that putting homework off until the weekend was usually a bad idea.

“Well that sounds like a challenge if ever I heard one,” Draco said with amusement as she returned to the room having managed to get Orion back to sleep, the little boy having woken up slightly when she had moved him. “Molly’s right about getting it done though, Harry; Ron will not be at all pleased if you have to skip Quidditch practice this weekend to write a potions essay,” she pointed out.

Harry sighed and forced his body up from the sofa, going to retrieve the notes from the bag by the door. He didn’t want to spend any more time on potions that evening, but he could at least see that it was likely to be a lot easier and quicker process to complete while he had the assistance of not only Draco but Molly too.

-#-

“Morning,” Hermione greeted Harry the next day at breakfast, with far too much enthusiasm in his opinion. “You look tired,” she commented as she accepted Orion into her arms for a cuddle, having finished her own breakfast already.

“I have a four month old son and a sadistic wife who thinks that spending more than two hours on a potions essay is a good idea; of course I’m tired,” Harry grumbled sleepily as he helped himself to a generous serving of porridge before adding strawberries and a large dollop of honey to the top of it and stirring. “Sorry, just been a long week,” he apologised with a sigh when Hermione glared at him for taking such a tone with her.

“At least you won’t have to write that essay at the weekend now,” Hermione pointed out, hoping to cheer him up at little bit, “means you will probably be able to go to Quidditch practice, right?”

“Hopefully,” Harry said, nodding as he dug into his porridge, not having realised how hungry he was that morning.

“You’re coming to Quidditch this weekend?” Ron asked having caught what the two of them were saying as he arrived, taking a seat on Harry’s other side and starting to serve himself a full English breakfast.

“Uh huh,” Harry hummed in confirmation, swallowing his food before answering properly. “I hope so, if I can get the reading for Transfiguration finished tonight and assuming that Draco and Orion don’t need me, of course.”

“Sure,” Ron said, nodding. He understood that Harry’s priority wasn’t Quidditch anymore, but that didn’t mean that he was entirely happy about it. He accepted that that was the way things were now, however, and loved both Harry and Orion enough to not want to get between them; he had even found that he cared about Draco now, as weird as that concept still seemed.

 “You are going to have to eat that quickly,” Hermione said to the red-head, giving his large plate of food a look of distain, “Defence class starts in less than ten minutes.” She really didn’t understand why Ron was so terrible at getting himself organised, and she had certainly noticed that his ability to get down to the Great Hall for breakfast at a sensible time had vanished since Harry and Draco had moved into a room together the previous year.

“It’s fine, Hermione,” Ron insisted, but Harry noticed that his friend did pick up the pace anyway. His attention was turned from the two of them however, when he spotted that Draco and Blaise were heading over their way.

“I couldn’t stand to listen to Pansy and Daphne’s griping for a second longer,” Draco explained as she reached where Hermione, Harry and Ron were sat at the Gryffindor table. She was mostly used to not being able to sit with them for meals now, but it was bothering her more than usual today due to the apparent bad moods of the Slytherin girls, who had seemed determined to take it out on everyone else around them.

“You going to just go back to our rooms then?” Harry asked, pushing away his mostly empty bowl and turning on the bench to face his wife.

Draco nodded. “I have some reading I can get done,” she told him. “And, if our little man will let me,” she added, accepting Orion back into her arms from Hermione, the little boy waving his arms, seemingly pleased to see his mother, “I thought I might try to take a nap.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Harry said with a chuckle, “I am profoundly jealous.” For a moment he considered whether he could just skip Defence Against the Dark Arts and spend the morning lounging around with his family, but he knew it was something he would regret later when he had to do all the catching up with what he had missed.

“Perhaps you can manage a nap this afternoon,” Draco pointed out, knowing that Harry would be taking care of Orion while she had Charms later that day.

“Not if Orion’s been napping with you all morning,” Harry retorted, though he was smiling and reached out, putting his hands on Draco’s hips to pull her towards, him, so that she was standing between his legs. “That’s okay, you can be the first to get up with him tonight,” he told her with a chuckle, his hands still resting on her hips as she leaned down to kiss him.

It was only a chaste kiss and they pulled apart and looked to their son when he reached up for their faces, letting out little laughs at the sight of his parents kissing. “It’s not that funny, Orion,” Draco told her son, shaking her head at him in amusement.

“Don’t think Umbridge looks amused either,” Blaise said, his voice full off concern, as he tapped Draco on the shoulder and gestured across the hall towards here the woman was now heading towards them.

“Damn it,” Harry muttered, having spotted her too. “Draco, go now, I love you, see you later,” he said quickly, and Draco nodded, stealing a very quick kiss and heading for the door with Orion in her arms.

“Detention, Mr Potter, for inappropriate behaviour and fraternisation,” Umbridge said angrily once she reached the small group. “And do not think that just because Mrs Potter made a hasty exit means that she has avoided her own detention. I will be in contact to let you both know the details of where and when you will serve detention,” she told him snappishly before striding past them towards the door.

“Fuck,” Harry cursed, ignoring Hermione’s exclamation at his use of such language. “I had hoped that I could keep Draco out of it,” he said, grabbing his bag from by his feet and standing up. He could feel the eyes of many students fixed on his and was keen to get out of there quickly.

“I don’t think that that would have been possible given it was her you were kissing,” Blaise said with a shrug; he knew that Draco leaving had been worth a try, but it had been a long shot at best and he wasn’t the least bit surprised that it hadn’t worked; he was certain that Draco wouldn’t be either.

“Umbridge has probably been looking for a reason to give you both detentions since the start of term anyway,” Ron pointed out, as he too got up from the table, following the other three as they headed off to their first class of the day.

-#-

After their double period of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Sirius had had to speak with a couple of students, so Harry had waited outside the classroom for them to finish; he hadn’t wanted to eavesdrop on conversation that were nothing to do with him, but he wanted to talk to him and hadn’t had a chance during the lesson. He hadn’t seen the older man at breakfast, so expected that Sirius had eaten at Grimmauld Place with Remus before returning; he hoped that boded well for how the full moon went, as he hoped.

“Sirius?” Harry called out as he poked his head around the doorway to his godfather’s classroom, once the last couple of students had left, presumably heading towards the Great Hall for lunch.

“Back here,” Sirius called out. Harry quickly figured out that the voice was coming from the large storage cupboard near the back of the room; presumably Sirius had headed back there for something once the others had left. 

“So you obviously survived last night.” Harry teased as he walked the length of the room. “How’s Remus?” he asked, smiling as Sirius came out of the storage cupboard with a mirror Harry recognised as a foe glass. As always, he could make out a few vague shapes, but no one identifiable or close enough to worry about right away.

“Remus is fine, or at least as fine as he ever is in the days after the full moon,” Sirius said with a shrug, as he placed the mirror onto his desk. “I… the full moon helped, doing something normal,” he tried to explain, not really sure he was making any sense.

“Normal,” Harry said, snorting with amusement, “only you could call spending the night of a full moon with a werewolf while transformed into a dog normal. I’m glad it helped; though Orion has really missed his grandfather.”

“Yeah, I was kind of an arse, wasn’t I,” Sirius said with a lopsided apologetic smile, sitting down at his desk. “This whole mess with Remus, it just had me worried…”

“You had us worried too,” Harry pointed out, grabbing a chair from one of the desks and dragging it over, so that he could sit opposite Sirius. “I get that he is really depressed or something, but what are we supposed to do when you start shutting us out. We understand that you can’t always be there to help us with Orion, and that’s completely fine, but we also know how much you love Orion… When you start avoiding spending time with him…”

“I know, I know,” Sirius said with a sigh, lounging back in his chair. “I have missed you guys. All three of you,” he added quickly. “Sorry.” He did feel bad for how he had treated them; everything with Remus had hit him hard and he knew he hadn’t handled it very well.

“It’s okay, honestly,” Harry said earnestly. “We get that you have been worried about Remus.”

“Still am,” Sirius told him, leaning forward on his desk. “This full moon might have gone well, but he seems to be in a funk. I think he might have kicked the worst of it for now, but going to have to keep an eye on him.”

“I am sure that Molly won’t object to coming and spending time with Orion a little more often,” Harry said with an understanding smile, trying not to show the worry he felt for both Remus and Sirius. “We get that he is important to you.”

“He is my one remaining friend,” Sirius said with a nod, glad that Harry understood. “I just don’t want to see him implode, or just give up, and both seem likely at the moment. He is my best friend, I am supposed to help him, not make it all worse,” he ranted, before sighing and resting his head forward onto the desk.

“You know…“ Harry said hesitantly, “it would be okay, if you… erm, want to be more than friends. I mean, I know it isn’t up to us, but we wouldn’t have a problem with it. We just want you to be happy…”

“Wait, what?” Sirius asked, lifting up his head and looking at Harry with wide eyes.

“You and Remus…” Harry said. “It’s not a problem if you two are…”

“We’re best friends, just friends, very strictly friends,” Sirius said firmly. “And straight. We are both very straight, or at least I am, I did sometimes wonder about Remus, but pretty sure he is at least mostly straight.”

“Oh…,” Harry said blushing bright red at the misunderstanding. “Well that’s fine too,” he said with an awkward chuckle. “I’m, erm, just going to go get some lunch then,” he said, not really sure what to say now. He loved Sirius like a parent and he supposed that was why it was so weird to talk about him having any kind of relationship.

Sirius chuckled too, though more with amusement at Harry’s obvious discomfort. It was kind of adorable in a way. He gave his godson a smile. “Come on, let’s go get some lunch,” he agreed, getting to his feet and heading around the desk. He had kind of been planning on spending his lunch time taking a nap, but he hadn’t had much breakfast and food actually sounded appealing.

“Yeah, okay, that would be good,” Harry said with a nod, getting to his feet, the two of them heading out of the classroom. “Oh, and maybe don’t tell Remus that…”

“That you though he was gay and head over heels in love with me?” Sirius asked teasingly with a grin. “I mean I would hardly blame him if he was, I mean I am fabulous but…”

“Sirius,” Harry said with a groan, knowing that he was going to be trying to live down this misunderstanding for quite some time.

-#-

“You actually thought that Sirius was gay?” Draco asked with amusement, as Sirius happily told her all about the conversation he and Harry had had just before lunch.  Harry just groaned, accepting Orion from Draco, in his arms; he was not best pleased that now his wife was teasing him too.

The small group of them were meeting just outside of the Great Hall, having had to sit at different tables for their meal thanks to Umbridge’s rules and regulations; Draco had been taking care of Orion all morning, so had had their son with her, Blaise watching over them just in case, but Harry would be with the four month old for the afternoon.

“I was just trying to be nice,” Harry grumbled under his breath, causing Sirius to grin widely, as Draco chuckled. “It’s not like I said you guys should actually get together, just that we wouldn’t have a problem with it if you did.” He felt pretty stupid for having thought that anything could happen between the two men, but he just thought it might, give how close they were.

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Harry,” Hermione said firmly, scowling at the others when they just continued to show their amusement. She was proud of her best friend for having taken the initiative to try and make sure that Sirius would feel comfortable exploring a relationship with the other man, if he wanted to.

“The thought was nice but honestly…” Sirius started to say, but he never had a chance to say anymore before they were interrupted by a sharp and very unwelcome cough. “Madam Umbridge,” Sirius said tersely, turning to face the woman who was stood just behind Hermione and Draco, a very forced smile on her face.

“You are loitering in the corridors,” she informed them, “this is not acceptable. As a teacher, I would expect you to set a better example to students of this establishment, Professor Black.”

“Well I wanted to give a perfectly good example of how not to behave,” Sirius said with all the seriousness he could muster, earning a few snorts of laughter from the students around him as he gave her a falsely pleasant smile.

“Move along, all of you,” Umbridge said sternly, looking not at all pleased at being mocked by Sirius. The group shared looks, but they didn’t need more trouble and so Harry and Ron started to head off towards the Potter rooms, intending to spend a little time together with Orion, waving goodbye to the others. “Not you, Mrs Potter,” the high inquisitor added quickly, when Draco went to follow Blaise and Hermione off towards their next class.

Draco stopped, forcing the expression of annoyance from her face before turning back to the odious woman; the others all stopped too, turning back and watching on with concern, not about to leave Draco alone with the Umbridge. “Madam Umbridge, is there anything you need?” Draco asked. “I would so hate to be late for my next lesson,” she said with deliberate politeness. Around her the others were watching closely, and Harry had even started to make his way back towards her.

“I simply wished let you know that I will contact you shortly regarding the time and place of your detention,” the woman told the young blonde. “And I assure you that it will not be taken with your husband, as I would hate to leave you without someone to care for your child,” she added, with a clearly mocking expression.

“How… considerate,” Harry said sarcastically with a scowl, knowing that Orion’s childcare was the very least of Umbridge’s concerns. He wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist and began to lead her away, the others promptly following after him. He had nothing to say to the awful woman, nothing that wouldn’t end with him in more trouble anyway.

“Spiteful bitch,” Ron spat out, once he was sure that they were out of hearing range. He was getting really tired of her messing with his friend’s lives; it was hard enough for Draco and Harry being teenage parents, without her meddling.

“Ron,” Hermione chastised, but there was a distinct lack of heat in her voice as she did so. She too was struggling to find any reason to actually stand up for the High Inquisitor.

“You should at least keep from using such language around a teacher,” Blaise pointed out with a smile, “he might have to start giving you detentions.” Sirius gave him a grin in return. It was still strange for the older man to be a professor at the school and to have to discipline the kind of behaviour he would have thought was hilarious and brilliant during his own youth.

“A detention with Sirius?” Harry said with a laugh, trying to imagine such a thing. “That would probably actually be fun, count me in,” he said, smiling at his godfather, as Sirius chuckled his own amusement.

“Cheeky sod,” Sirius said affectionately, giving Harry a light push. “Get off with you,” he said with a laugh. Harry paused just long enough to steal a kiss from his wife and to let Draco press a kiss to Orion’s forehead, before he and Ron headed off down the corridor towards his rooms, leaving the others to go find their classes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Please do take a moment to leave me a comment


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